This is the onion tart that my Aunt Nena always makes. And there are recipes that in my family have always been repeated over and over again because we all love them, and that is what happens to this onion cake recipe, a recipe that has been in the family for as long as I can remember and that my Aunt Magdalena always prepares, my Aunt Nena.
Almost all the onion pie recipes that you will find out there (if not all), have cream and eggs, that is, they are prepared as if it were a quiche but with onions. This one that I bring you today, however, is made with a béchamel sauce that is left to cook slowly with the caramelized onion, which makes the cake much lighter, softer and creamier.
It is a very simple but very tasty savory cake that has become part of my collection of infallible recipes that solve a last minute dinner as well as an unforeseen visit at lunchtime. It is almost made by itself and is usually liked by everyone. A delicious cake that I propose for any occasion, for any day... "because I deserve it."
Ingredients
- For the shortcrust dough:
- 280g flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 110 g butter (or olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 40 g grated Grana Padano
For the filling
- 1 kilo of onions
- 50 g butter (or olive oil)
- 4 tablespoons of flour
- 1/2 litre of warm milk
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- A little freshly ground black pepper
- 60 g Grana Padano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 80 g grated cheese
For the shortcrust pastry, in a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and butter with your hands until it has a consistency of coarse sand. When everything is well mixed, add the bowl, a tablespoon of water and the grated Grana Padano cheese and stir again.
Make a ball with our dough and stretch the shortcrust dough with the help of a rolling pin between two baking papers.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Line a springform mold with the dough. Put weight on top of it and bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC. This is what is called a blind baking that is used for fillings that do not need much cooking in the oven as is the case with this cake. After this time and when the edges are golden, take it out of the oven and set aside.
Chop the onion into thin wheels and in a saucepan, put a little butter and the chopped onions and poach over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or half an hour, until the onion is well browned (caramelized).
Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat.
When the onion is ready, remove it and in the same saucepan add a tablespoon of butter and flour and toast over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes.
We begin to add the milk little by little, taking care not to form lumps (if the milk is very hot, lumps should not form, but if they do, we can transfer the blender to our béchamel sauce once we have incorporated all the milk and return to the heat).
When all the milk is incorporated, add the onions back and let them cook slowly for about 10 minutes until the béchamel is cooked, the raw flour is not noticeable and it has all the flavor of the caramelized onion.
Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg and bring to a boil.
Fill the mold with the mixture. Cover with a little grated cheese and more grated Grana Padano and bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the dough is well browned.
Remove from the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes before unmolding.
Tips and Tricks
Serve with a little salad
Replace the ready to go pie dough with ready to go puff dough. Use an oven tray instead of a pie pan.
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12