Bon Appétit (November 2010)
Okay, we don't like to brag.
But have you ever in your life seen a more festive, more stunningly gorgeous holiday dish?
These Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate, Orange and Parsley Gremolata are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The purple, pearlescent wisps of onion studded with pomegranate seeds like jewels and anointed with emerald parsely and bright orange zest -- it's like a work of art on a plate.
It's not really bragging, though: All we did was follow the reicipe from Bon Appétit.
And here's some more not-bragging: We actually kind of screwed things up.
As regular Bitten Word readers know, we have no qualms about owning up when we make a mistake in the kitchen. Sometimes overcook a dish. And sometimes we flat out burn them.
Other times, we undercook them, which was the case with these roasted onions.
We love the simplicity of this recipe. There are very few ingredients, but each of them really shines.
We fell short, though, in that we didn't roast our onions long enough. They were almost there, but they still had a hint of that nose-searing sharpness and crunch of raw onions. In our hurry to get things on the table, we didn't realize until it was too late to put them back in the oven.
Still, it was close enough that we could tell this would be a terrific recipe, with the sweet, softened, caramelized onions getting a jolt of tartness from the pomegranate seeds and the orange zest, perked up even more with the fresh, springy greenness of the parsley.
We definitely recommend that you give this a spin for Thanksgiving. You guests will gasp when they see the beautiful dish set out on your holiday table. (Just be sure to roast your onions long enough!)
>> More Thanksgiving recommendations from the Bitten Word
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Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate, Orange, and Parsley Gremolata
Bon Appétit (November 2010)
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(This photo: Bon Appétit)
8 to 10 servings
PREP: 40 minutes. TOTAL: 1 hour 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Onions
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 medium red onions, peeled, each cut into 8 wedges through core, with some core still attached to each piece
Gremolata
2/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh italian parsley
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
DIRECTIONS
Onions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add onions; toss gently. Arrange onions close together, 1 cut side down, on baking sheet; spoon juices from bowl over. Roast 30 minutes. Using small spatula, carefully turn onions over. Continue to roast onions until tender and thickly coated with glaze, watching to prevent overbrowning, 25 to 28 minutes longer. Remove from oven.
DO AHEAD Can be made 3 hours ahead. Let stand on baking sheet at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven before serving, if desired.
Gremolata
Mix pomegranate seeds, parsley, and orange peel in small bowl.
Arrange warm or room-temperature onions on platter. Sprinkle gremolata over and serve.
