Roasted Red Onion Cup

Just a quick lesson on making roasted onion cups...

Cut tops and bottoms off of red onion cups (why red? because they look better...but you can use white or yellow). How do you know you cut enough off? Is there 1 1/2 to 2 inch across flat surface area on each end of the onion? Then you got it right!

Do not worry about peeling off any skins, oiling the pan (maybe parchment/foil paper if you don't want to clean much) throw them on a sheet pan and cook them in the oven for about 1 to 1 1/4 hour on 350*F. Take them out let them cool down. See picture:

After the onions cool down, its time to pop out the centers (and you can use these tasty sweet flavored onions for another dish later!). Contrary to popular belief its easier to use you fingers on the (now cool to warm) onion popping out the center from pushing into the flat cut ON TOP OF THE ONION pushin it out the bottom. Look at the picture...the structure of the onion on top will hold more 'filling' in it when you pop out the middle from the bottom, them flip it over in the tray/pan on the top....confused? The bottom will have a bigger hole, so we use that as the top on the second part of this lesson. Look at this next picture good and you should see what I mean:

Now we have a good 'pot' to plant some food in...what kind of food you say? How about baked beans and then bake them a little further. What about a stuffed 'pepper' substituting the pepper with the onion? Or, better yet a squash casserole.

We stuffed ours with a White Wine Risotto w/Asparagus tips.

Take a large funnel, use a knife or small saw and open up the end of the funnel about an inch. Now use that and a dowel (or handle of round wooden spoon) to push thru your filling...Look at the next picture to get an idea of that:

Now finish with the blanched tips pushed down into the top for a 'cute' pot o' plants:

Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest, but 'folks' is busy cookin' U know?!