Pasta With Caramelized Onions And Bitter Greens Recipes

PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND BITTER GREENS

Steps:

• Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sugar and cook, stirring once or twice, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Turn heat to low; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes.
• Remove half the onions and set aside. Add broth or water to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat, scraping bottom of pan, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water until a little underdone, and drain. Add to broth; simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add greens; cook, covered, until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in additional tablespoon of butter, if desired. Divide among 4 shallow bowls, garnish with reserved onions, and serve.

CARAMELIZED ONION PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium until butter is melted. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and deeply golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Stop before the onions become dry and shriveled.) Add red pepper flakes (if using) and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Remove pot from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Add pasta and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to onion mixture and stir to combine. Add a small handful of cheese and stir until melted. Repeat with remaining cheese, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed to create a glossy sauce that coats the pasta. Stir in parsley (if using).
• Divide pasta among bowls. Top with Parmesan, parsley, and a few cranks of pepper.

CARAMELIZED ONION & GARLIC PASTA

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add the onions, pepper flakes and salt; saute until onions are tender. Stir in garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until onions are deep golden brown., Add the tomatoes, vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta; toss with onion mixture., Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with bacon, cheese, and pepper; heat through. Garnish with basil if desired.

PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS & BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet on medium heat, warm the oil and cook the onions with the salt and pepper until soft, golden brown, and lightly caramelized. (The larger your skillet, the faster the onions will caramelize. In a 12- or 14-inch skillet, the process may take less than 10 minutes. In a smaller skillet in which the onions are crowded, it could take 20 minutes.) Add the wine, broth, or water and continue to cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is done. If the onions begin to stick, add some pasta-cooking water.
• When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving a cup of the hot water. Place the pasta in a serving bowl, add the onions (swirl some of the reserved water around in the skillet to get out every tasty bit) and the blue cheese, and toss together to melt the cheese and coat the pasta. Add more of the pasta-cooking water if you'd like it saucier. Serve hot.
• A salad with slightly bitter greens goes well with this sweet, rich pasta. Or toss endive with Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette (page 222). Peach Brown Betty (page 268) is a sweet ending.