Recipe: Spaghetti risottati with caramelised Tropea red onions and Pecorino cheese

 

Spaghetti risottati with Tropea onions is a very simple dish that requires a very big fry pan, at least 36 cm in diameter because spaghetti are being cooked in the fry pan instead of being boiled as usual. The ingredients that compose it are few with the red of Tropea, an onion with a sweet flavour, rich in vitamin C and E, iodine, zinc, magnesium, selenium and iron.

 

We will need spaghetti, Tropea onions that are in season until the end of September  but they can be found also up to  March and you can find them in some delis like Prezzemolo & Vitale, also at Borough Market and some other specialised delis. Or if you are back from your Calabrian holiday you might have put some in your suitcase (inside a plastic bag if not your clothes will be a bit smelly). Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I have used Tamia which can be found in some branches of Whole Food Market, Pecorino Cheese, chillies. 

 

Start peeling the onion, ( or more depending on how many people are going to eat), trim it and cut it into slices, for this operation it may be useful to wear disposable latex gloves, as Tropea onions can stain your hands.

Tropea onions  benefits the heart and arteries, and prevents the risk of heart attack. One of its properties is that of being a natural sedative, is useful for helping sleep.The sweetness of the vegetable seems to depend on the particularly stable microclimate in winter, without sudden changes in temperature due to the mildness exerted by the proximity of the sea, and on the fresh and loamy soils, which determine the valuable characteristics of the product.

 Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan with the chillies, then add the sliced onions and cook over low heat.

Stir continuously because the onion has to be soft and sticky, with a caramelised effect, without being burned.

Add some water to better caramelise the onions. If the onion is still not cooked and the liquid has evaporated, add half a glass of water.

At this point, start cooking as if it were a risotto, stirring the spaghetti that will be soft shortly. 

Stir with a wooden spoon to soften the pasta and mix it with the onions. The result should be a creamy sauce from the onions and the little water left in the pan.  

Switch off the hob under the pan and add the pecorino cheese, a lot of it and mix it quickly so it won’t be a block of cheese. Never add grated cheese when the pasta is still cooking in order to avoid blocks of cheese and not a creamy sauce.   

Spaghetti with Tropea Onions and Pecorino cheese are ready. Just indulge  with a glass of Calabrian white wine.