We went to visit some friends a week or so ago, and they cooked a really tasty chicken thigh dish and served it with an incredible corn, bean, and avocado salad. When they were making the salad, they went to the store to buy an onion to dice and serve with it…but the store only had 3lb bags of onions in stock. SO, they bought the big bag even though they don’t love onions and only needed one for the dinner.
I tell you that story because the end result is that they sent us home with 3 lbs of onions (well, minus the weight of one onion). That is a lot of onions, and anyone who tells you otherwise is not worthy of your trust. However, an overabundance of onions is not a bad problem to have, as this dish will (hopefully) prove.
Our inspiration for this pie was from an appetizer my wife and I had in early March with my Ants (more of an inside joke than a typo) at The Salt House in New Hope, PA. The first thing that struck us when we entered was how quaint the building was…It was built in the 1700s (which may not impress my European readers, but that’s really old for the New World). We were quickly seated at a communal table with three people we didn’t know, which reminded my wife and me of our beer hall experience in Zurich, Switzerland. Then, in reviewing the menus, we all had an easy time picking a great entree…but the onion pie on the appetizer menu intrigued us to the point of purchase. It was amazing, and so once we had a ton of onions in our own kitchen, it was only natural to try to recreate!
We served our onion pie with a side salad of fresh romaine topped with diced yellow tomatoes, caramelized walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Pie Crust
- 5-6 medium onions.
- Gruyere Cheese
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter
- 2 Tablespoons of Cornmeal
- 1 Egg
- Optional: Tomato
Method:
- Pull your pie crust from the freezer to defrost, put on some goggles to prevent the tears, and peel and slice all of your onions.
- Melt some butter in a large pot, and then add your onions. Let them sweat for about 5 minutes (stirring occasionally), and then add in some balsamic vinegar and black pepper.
- Cover, and let everything cook together on low for another 40 minutes. Keep stirring every now and then to ensure even caramelization and to prevent burning.
- Towards the end of your onion cook time, wash and very thinly slice a juicy tomato.
- When your onions have cooked down and are nicely caramelized, transfer them to a large bowl (enjoy the aromas as you do this). Mix in your egg, cornmeal, and a good bit of grated Gruyere, and completely combine.
- Grate some more Gruyere atop the bottom of your pie crust, and then scoop and spread about half of your onion mixture over that.
- Add in a layer of sliced tomatoes, and then top that with the rest of your onion mixture.
- Grate some more Gruyere on top (can never have too much!).
- Stash in the oven, and bake for about 40-45 minutes so the crust gets a nice golden brown, and all of your flavours build and deepen.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
