French onion pasta gratin
We made beef stock. From scratch. It was so good that we don’t know why we don’t whip it up more often. Maybe it’s the 8 hour simmering time that puts us off? (Not really, as this can be done in the background; it’s not like you have to hover for the duration.) Or perhaps it’s hauling the bones home, seeing the disappointment on the dog’s face as he sees them cook, submerged in bubbling water. Or the roasting of them properly first. You need to really, really bake those suckers until they’re well-browned, to give the stock it’s proper dark colour… this takes a while and in the process the kitchen impregnates with the smell of roasting bones which not everyone appreciates. (The dog, as you can imagine, does).
It’s not worth making small amounts of beef stock, so you need a large enough pot. We work with about 5kg of bones per batch, roasting them off in a couple of baking tins with roughly cut, unpeeled onion, celery and carrot, then hurling everything into the stock pot with fresh thyme, bayleaf, and cold water to cover. Please don’t add whatever vegetables are knocking around your fridge for a stock;it’s not a repository for broccoli stalks, fennel trimmings, potato peels, or gnarly old cabbage leaves. Leeks are permissible, mushroom trimmings are great, and tomato tops and off-cuts are also allowed.
You ideally need to occasionally skim the surface of your stock as it simmers to get rid of the gunk and fat that rise to the surface; what you really don’t want is let the stock boil its head off or these impurities will cook into the liquid and make it cloudy. The outcome you’re after is a clear, brown-y liquid which, if you have cooked it long enough, will solidify into a light jelly when chilled (you can top up the water level as it cooks as it tends to evaporate down). It’s the collagen and elastin (aka connective tissue) on the bones that give beef stock its incredible body, and what makes a home made stock so lip-smacking and rich.
If you can refrigerate your stock before using, then any remaining fat will rise to the top and solidify, making it a breeze to remove.
Anyway – beef stock. We felt mighty pleased having a whole batch to bag up and freeze. It’s like liquid gold after putting in the effort; those 5 kg of bones yielded around 2.5-3 litres, BTW. Our thoughts ultimately turned to French Onion Soup, which showcases home-made beef stock like maybe no other dish. From there we made the mental leap to an onion-y, beefy sauce to put through pasta, topping it with plenty of cheese, and baking it until bubbly and crusty – a pasta-fied French onion soup, if you will. Don’t freak at the amount of onion required; it cooks right down to way less volume than you start with and the sweet flavour really concentrates.
SERVES 4-5
50g butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.8kg onions (about 9 large), finely sliced
2 sprigs thyme
125ml (½ cup) medium sherry
5 tsp plain flour
1 litre (4 cups) beef stock, preferably home made, heated
350g penne pasta
100g (1 cup) grated gruyere or cheddar cheese
80g (¾ cup) grated parmesan
Combine the butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme, then cook, stirring often for 20 minutes or until the onions are very soft and starting to turn golden. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then cook for another 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are golden, very tender, and are very reduced.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190˚C, fan-forced. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil for the pasta.
Add the sherry to the onion mixture, then cook for 6-7 minutes or until the liquid has nearly all evaporated. Add the flour, stir to get rid of any lumps, then cook for 2 minutes to cook out the flour a little. Stirring constantly, gradually add the hot stock, bringing the mixture to a simmer between additions. Reduce the heat to low, then let the sauce simmer gently and thicken slightly while you cook the pasta for 7-8 minutes (3-4 minutes less than the packet directions; you want it slightly undercooked). Drain the pasta well, add to the onion sauce, removing the thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine well.
Transfer the mixture to a 2 litre (8 cup)-capacity baking dish, then scatter over the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly, and the pasta is going crusty around the edges. Serve hot.
