Adriana's Italian Recipe for Stuffed Onion Au Gratin

Stuffed Onion Au Gratin
(Cipolle Ripiene Gratinate)


Ingredients:

For the Bechamel Sauce:
2 oz (50 grams) oz butter
2 oz (50 grams) plain flour
18 fl oz (500 ml) whole milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Salt and pepper

For the Onion Gratin:
4 large onions, peeled
Butter, for greasing
5 oz (150 grams) cooked prosciutto, chopped
4 tablespoons raw tomato sauce (passata)
4 tablespoons Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Prepare the Bechamel Sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Whisk in the flour.

Pour in all the milk, whisking constantly until it starts to boil.

Season with salt, lower the heat, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes. Bechamel sauce should not taste like flour.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Taste and add more salt if necessary and season with pepper and/or nutmeg.

If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk.

If too runny, return to the heat and add 2 slices of butter mixed with an equal quantity of plain flour.

Prepare the Onion Gratin:
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.

Add the whole onions and partially boil for a few minutes.

Drain well, cut in half horizontally and gently scoop out the middle of the onions until you're left with eight "shells".

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas Mark 4 and grease an ovenproof dish with butter.

Chop the scooped-out onion middle and mix with the prosciutto and tomato passata in a bowl.

Season with salt and pepper.

Stuff the onion shells with this mixture.

Arrange them in the prepared dish.

Stir the Parmigiano cheese into the bechamel sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the stuffed onions and bake until golden brown. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Note: For a richer bechamel sauce, replace half the milk with the same amount of double cream; for a lighter bechamel sauce, add half milk and half water.

That's it!

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