Recipe My mother's red onion & feta tart

[Windigo]

One of my favorites. Pretty easy to make, though it does take some skill in the baking department. But easy to impress with if your guests are the type that will try anything.

For the dough:
175g white flour
75g butter
45 ml grated parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk

For the onion filling:
450 g red onions
250 ml red wine
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 knob of butter
Salt and pepper

For the topping:
125 g chopped or crumbled feta
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, or just torn leaves

1) To make the onion filling:
Preheat oven to 150 celcius upper and lower heat. Peel and chop the onions into halves, then slice into fine rings. Add the onions with the spices, honey, vinegar, olive oil, butter, salt and pepper to taste and the wine to a Dutch oven. Let cook for 2 hours until the liquid has mostly evaporated and you're left with glossy onions that smell heavenly. You might want to stir the mixture halfway through.

2). To make the dough:
Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Put the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt and rub the butter through it until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then stir the parmesan through it. Make a well in the middle and add the egg plus 3 or 4 spoons of cold water and mix until a solid dough forms. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and then put it in your baking tin. Pinch the dough with a fork a few times. Bake it without filling (with baking beans or similar) for 20 minutes.

3) Then add the filling and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is golden. Remove from oven, top with crumbled feta and basil and serve.

 

[Morning Glory]

I love the idea of all those slow cooked red onions.

 

[Windigo]

I love the idea of all those slow cooked red onions.

That's what makes it special. The original recipe was with just caramalised onions and a bit of sugar, but I tweaked it by adding the wine and that gives a completely new layer of flavor.