Marmite butter onions
And various ways to use them
I live a hop, a skip and a jump away from the Pophams marmite, Scholssberger and spring onion pastry and this is a geographical blessing for which I am very grateful. As with any spiralled pastry, I always devour them the same way: from the outside in, one torn piece at a time, flakes of pastry and countless sesame seeds collecting in my lap, working my way towards the innermost wheel where the spring onion is the most tender and the pastry has seemingly soaked up the most marmite. It’s the perfect last bite, one that I’ll hop, skip and jump to, even on the sleepiest of Sunday mornings for many more years to come.
I wax lyrical about that pastry here as a thank you to Pophams for inspiring today’s combination of marmite and onions. And another thank you must go to the cookbook Flavour (by Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage if you didn’t already know, although I’m sure you did) for inspiring the method.
Various routes you could take these marmite butter onions down:
~ Spoon onto toast and shower with mature cheddar
~ Roughly chop and simmer with good quality chicken stock for a very untraditional take on French onion soup. Floating cheesy toasts if you’d like to go the distance (and let me tell you, you’d like to go the distance)
~ Serve alongside a roast chicken
~ Roughly chop and toss through pasta (with a good slosh of pasta water of course) to channel Queen Nigella’s infamous marmite pasta
~ Use a few spoonfuls of the marmite butter liquid to briefly braise dark leafy greens then stir through the onions just before serving
~ I have gone on record stating that mash is my least favourite way with potatoes but if you’re a fan, pile the onions onto a puffy cloud of mash
~ As a superior alternative to mashed potatoes (in my opinion), smash butterbeans in frothing, garlicky butter then add in plenty of chives and a big handful of grated cheddar. Crown with the onions.
Marmite butter onions
Look out for small onions, preferably smaller than a tennis ball. In the UK, I find the bags or larger nets of onions sold in supermarkets often contain smaller ones than those sold loose or in smaller nets of three. If you can’t find small onions, you could use larger shallots as an alternative or just use the smallest onions you can find and increase the cook time (both the covered and uncovered timings, adding a splash more water towards the end, if needed) to ensure they are completely tender.
1kg small onions
100g unsalted butter
3 tbsp marmite
Preheat the oven to 220C. Halve the onions through the root and peel away the skins and any tough outer layers. Don’t trim the roots; they help the onions hold their shape as they bake. Lay cut side down in a large, high-sided roasting tray.
In a large jug, combine 1 litre of just boiled water with 3 tbsp marmite. I find the easiest way to measure out the marmite is by dunking a tablespoon into the hot water before dipping into the jar; the warmth of the spoon helps the marmite to slide off easily.
Melt the butter in a small pan and add to the marmite mixture, stirring to combine. Pour this over the onions. It will seem like a lot of liquid but don’t worry it will reduce down significantly in the oven. Cover the tray tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil, turn cut side up and bake for another hour, basting every 15 minutes. The onions should hold their shape but be completely tender. The tips and edges of the onions will darken and the liquid will reduce to a chestnut brown, buttery sauce.
These will last in the fridge for about a week and can be reheated gently in a pan or in the oven.
Bits & bobs
Pasta shapes to make by hand
This mafaldine is at the top of my ~to cook~ list this week, especially since the recipe cleverly skirts around the need to peel or chop the squash which is very appealing
I find most apple cakes don’t have enough apple in… but the sheer amount of fruit crammed into this one looks perfect
Loved reading these When Harry Met Sally-inspired recipes
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