Onions Monegasque

March 4, 2003

The weather in these parts is suddenly making a late run at being summer. Up until now we've had fine days, but we have been plagued by wind and that has rather spoiled everything, particularly thoughts of sitting outside for a meal.

On Saturday we had a day of absolute rest and managed to enjoy not one but three meals out on the tiled patio - a nice big wedge of melon for breakfast, salmon salad for lunch and barbecued lamb in the evening.

Sunday dawned similarly still and warm but this time we were off to Government House for lunch and a concert. It was a fundraiser for the Wellington Sinfonia and our Governor General, Dame Silvia Cartwright had graciously opened the gates of the mansion for the occasion.

A number of local businesses hosted tables for the luncheon which was catered by Government House staff. In case you're curious, we dined on poached Angus beef fillet with basil mayonnaise, crushed Desiree potatoes, goats' cheese, baby spinach, roast pepper and olive salad. The beef was just perfect - not too rare and deliciously tender.

For dessert there was chocolate frangipane tart with poached pear and blueberries and a nicely contrasting limoncino cream.

Following lunch we repaired to a natural amphitheatre in the grounds - formerly the vegetable garden. This time there were people populating the sloping lawn, rather than the potatoes and carrots that had once grown there. There we experienced "An Afternoon in Tuscany‚" while the sinfonia and singers presented a fine selection of music by Italian composers.

It was a very warm afternoon and a pleasant way of sipping a little wine and a lot more iced water and letting the splendid music waft over us.

As it seemed a day for indulgence, we dined outside again in the evening, feasting on a prawn salad.

I have just been reading Artemis Cooper's biography of English cookery writer Elizabeth David, Writing at the Kitchen Table. This, in turn, has had me dipping into Mrs David's splendid cookbooks. They were a huge inspiration to me when I first started taking cooking seriously and they have stood the test of time. I was browsing through Mediterranean Food when I came across her recipes for Oignons a la Monegasque. The people of Monaco are called Monegasque so I assume the recipe has its roots in that country.

Anyway, it looked simple enough - a mere five lines - so I picked up a bag of pickling onions during my visit to the local market and tried out the recipe. Well, it was a case of serious addiction and so we enjoyed some of the second batch with our prawn salad.

Onions Monegasque is a cold dish, maximum reward for the effort, my kind of dish.

Here is Elizabeth David's version.

Oignons a la Monegasque

Choose small pickling onions. Peel them and put them in a little boiling water.

When they are half cooked, add olive oil, a little vinegar, 2 or 3 chopped tomatoes, thyme, parsley, a bayleaf, and a handful of currants. They are served cold.

Mrs David's recipe is a little vague so I did some further research and experimentation and here is the result.

Onions Monegasque

12 pickling onions water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
a few small sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs French tarragon
2 bayleaves
1/4 cup currants

Peel the onions and put them in a saucepan with enough water to barely cover. Season with the salt. Bring to the boil and after five minutes add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a further four minutes.

With a slotted spoon, lift the onions out and place in a serving dish. Reduce the cooking liquid further - for about 3-4 minutes. Pour over the onions and refrigerate.

I think today's tomato paste gives the sauce quite a pleasant consistency and colour. I use the paste that comes in a tube like toothpaste. It keeps well and there's no wastage if you don't want to use a lot.

This dish can easily be scaled up or down depending on how many you are feeding and if this is part of a party menu, a picnic dish, or a family meal.

The onions retain a slightly crunchy texture and are very tasty.