The onion is said to be the oldest known vegetable – meaning people have known their onions for a very long time.
Apparently the Pharaoh Cheops paid for labour on the Great Pyramid with onions, garlic and parsley; and Egyptian mummies setting out for the afterlife had a stock of onions, carefully wrapped, to take with them on the journey.
Onions were highly valued for many good reasons. To my mind, the whole onion family – the Allium genus, including onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, spring onions and chives – is a truly glorious gift, to health and nutrition, yes, but to the taste buds in particular.
Nothing tells my stomach it’s time to eat more than the smell of onions frying in a pan. This simple act of preparing aromatics forms the basis of so many dishes, but onion is also delicious prepared as a vegetable in its own right.
The following recipe for Mezgueldi, a Moroccan dish of stewed and caramelised onions which I came across recently, takes the onion to another level. Its particular pleasure lies in its unctuous, melting texture, its sweetness and subtle spicing. Not only that, it’s a doddle to make, and it accompanies barbecued meat or roasted vegetables superbly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Jan
MEZGUELDI WITH CINNAMON
Serves 4-6
1 kg large brown or white onions, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne or ground black pepper
1 pinch of saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
Heat oven to 180°C fan forced.
Cut the onions into 3 even slices (each about 2cm thick) leaving the pieces intact.
Line a large baking dish with baking paper. Combine the oil in a bowl with the spices, salt and pepper. Add the onions carefully, slice by slice, turning to coat each one with the mixture, and place them in one layer in the baking dish.
Swirl 2 tablespoons of water around the bowl to pick up the last of the spices and it add to the onions.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and cook for 45 minutes, or until the onions are very soft and caramelised. Uncover and continue cooking if necessary to reduce the liquids. (The recipe until this point can be pre-prepared.)
When ready to serve, sprinkle a little of the sugar over the top of each slice of onion and return the dish to the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered, until the onions are golden and caramelised.
(Muezgeldi can also be eaten with crusty bread like a dip.)