I own several Ottolenghi books, but I rarely get round to cooking from them – too many of the recipes require too many ingredients that I’m convinced nobody has but are conveniently available on to buy on the Ottolenghi website. Searching for something that doesn’t require pomegranate molasses, ground dried lime, gold, frankincense or myrrh, lead me to this extremely simple recipe for miso butter onions – just 3 ingredients and some warm water – I thought it was worth a try. I scaled down the portion size by half and used shallots to quicken the cook time, and what resulted was a recipe I’ll be using for years to come. I chose a bavette steak to go with the onions – such an underrated cut, and one of my all time favourites for its texture, flavour and character. Don’t be put off by the cook time, this recipe requires nothing more but a little prep – basting 4 times, and the ability to cook a steak to your own liking.
The success of the miso butter sauce (there won’t be any left on your plate) has inspired me to try this with fennel instead of onions, piled onto a white fish (perhaps cod loin) – I can see those miso-black-cod flavours working very well with fennel. I shall try this next week and update my Instagram should I be successful in my endeavours.
Sabrina Goodlife.
The perfect rainy day food - full of comforting umami flavours. This is my variation of the much loved Ottolenghi Miso Butter Onions recipe, with the simple addition of a lean, well textured steak to make it a meal. I love how meltingly soft the onions become in combination with the texture of the bavette. No condiments or veg needed!
Ingredients
- 50g white miso - the "Miso Tasty" white miso works best
- 50g butter, melted
- 500ml warm water
- Small onions or shallots - I used about 15 shallots
- A steak of your choice (I love bavette with this recipe)
Instructions
- Combine the miso, butter, and water in a bowl make the miso sauce.
- Halve the onions or shallots and top/tail. Don't over trim them as you want the onions to stay together at the base.
- Place them face down in a cold frying pan and pour over the miso sauce. Cover with foil, and cook for 25 mins in a 240 degree oven.
- Remove foil, turn the onions face up and baste. Baste every 10 mins for a further 40 mins. After your last basting cook and season the steak to your liking. Whilst it rests take the onions out of the oven and plate. Slice your steak and pile on top.
Notes
Ideally you want a nice lean steak to pair up nicely with the silky, buttery onions - a bavette works best but a fillet will work too if you can't get any.
The original menu calls for unsalted butter, I used slightly salted and it worked well for me.
Once you have uncovered the shallots, they're likely to have moved around a bit. Try to return them to face up position every time you baste.
You may have some excess sauce left over. enjoy simply with bread, or toss through some root vegetables before roasting in the oven.