Beef tallow-roasted onions | Recipe

Spring is so close we can almost taste it, but before we get to warm our bones in the sun there are still a few cold evenings to make the most out of winter cooking. Jennifer McGruther is a food educator that has come forth with a new cookbook Broth & Stock, which is filled with pages upon pages of filling and nourishing recipes for broths and stocks and some classic dishes that use them. We’ve selected the unique beef tallow-roasted onions with fresh rosemary to try before spring arrives.

INGREDIENTS
1⁄4 cup long-simmered roasted beef bone broth (recipe below)
1⁄4 cup reserved beef tallow
6 onions, stems and roots trimmed, skins intact
2 teaspoons coarsely ground sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 rosemary sprigs

TO MAKE

Pour the broth into a small saucepan and warm it over a low heat until any gelatin melts back into a liquid.

Arrange the onions in a baking dish, then top each one with a dollop of tallow, about two teaspoons for each. Sprinkle the onions with salt and pepper. Gently pull off the leaves from each sprig of rosemary and sprinkle evenly over the onions. Pour the warm broth around the onions into the bottom of the baking dish, then bake in the hot oven for about 40 minutes, or until the onions are tender.

Remove the onions from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Gently pull off and discard each onion skin, then serve the onions warm.

Long-simmered roasted beef bone broth
INGREDIENTS
2.25 kg beef bones, such as neck and marrow bones or knuckles and shins
1 cup red wine
3.8–5.7 litres cold water

TO MAKE

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Place the bones in a single layer in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.

Transfer the bones to a heavy stockpot and pour in the wine. Add enough water to cover the bones by 5 cm (about 3.8–5.7 litres).

Bring the liquid to a boil over a high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for at least 12 and up to 18 hours, adding water as necessary to keep the bones submerged.

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and, using a wide-mouthed funnel, pour it into four 1 litre jars, sealing their lids tightly. Cook with the broth right away or place the jars in the fridge to allow the fat to harden. Alternatively, you can freeze the broth for up to six months, making sure you don’t fill the jars to the top if using glass jars. Be sure to spoon off the hard layer of fat before cooking with the broth.

You can reserve this fat to cook with, or discard it.

Makes about four litres, ready in 12–18 hours.

This is an edited extract from Broth & Stock by Jennifer McGruther. Published by Hardie Grant Book, available in stores nationally.

The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.

The Weekend Edition - Sleep In. Slow Down. Enjoy.

Warm your bones with beef tallow-roasted onions with fresh rosemary

Suggested Food & Drink Reads