Crostini with Caramelized Onion, Feta and Rocket

It’s amazing how versatile the onion is. Or rather I should specify- the Red Onion. Yes, the epitome of Stink-The wonderful red onion. I never knew the concept of Red Onion, until my stint in the UK a few years ago. In our part of the world, Onions were always red or green, aren’t they?

Yes, they make you cry, but what the heck- the flavor I have discovered over time, is surely worth it. The tangy flavor, which I sometimes remove (by soaking cut onion in water for about 10 minutes), is in essence quite wonderful, and for those who despise it, there is news- Onions are good cures for colds (Wikipedia) and are quite useful as flavoring agents.

Well, it was only once I started to cook Indian food often enough, I discovered the difference between the varieties of onion, except just red and green. I figured, how some traditional Indian dishes cannot just be made, using anything else except for red onions. The white onion simply isn’t flavorful enough for its usage in traditional Indian cooking. It was tough, (and expensive) to find good red onions in the heart of where I stayed, but soon enough we realized that food such as the traditional dal with tadka or baingan ka bharta just wouldn’t be the same without the beloved red onion. And therefore, we would stash bags of onions at our home and use them all the time, everywhere. Initially, when I started cooking, I would keep the red onion away from international cuisines, but as I started to experiment, I soon realized that I just needed to pair it well. This dish is my favorite form of the Red Onion – in a cuisine other than Indian. An interesting twist is the caramelization, which adds to the colour as well. I had always thought that caramelized onions are tough to do, but as I learnt from Martha Stewart, the trick really is to cook them slowly. The icing on the cake for this dish is its pairing with 2 of my other favorite ingredients- Feta and Rocket. Am not sure if it is unique, but what I do know is that the blend is absolutely harmonious- I usually drool at the thought of either of these 2 ingredients, and paired together, surely results in bliss. Try at your own risk.

p.s. RB, if you are reading this, for the love of Onions-  this post is for you.

p.p.s. Totally directed by a whim of mine, I’m glad my audience@ 261 enjoyed these as much as I did.

(Makes enough for 4-5 Slices of Bread)

2 Onions, sliced

1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar

Sea Salt or Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

75g Feta Cheese

Bread, toasted or crackers

Some Rocket Leaves

Heat the Oil, and slowly cook the onions, stirring continuously. Once they are soft, add the brown sugar and cook on slow heat until they are brown.  Remove from heat, add the feta and give it a light mix. Spread on toasted bread, and top it with some rocket leaves.
Next time I am going to add my other favorite ingredient; garlic. Me thinks the blend will only improve.