Calçots a la graella 2007
photo by bernatff: flickr creative commons
On my second trip to the farmer’s market this spring I snatched up some red, white, and yellow spring onions that were stacked in giant piles. Inspired by the Calcotada festivals, which take place in Catalonia every spring, I set out to treat these pungent bunches of onions in a similar fashion.
red, white, and yellow spring onions, Daly Plaza farmer's market
My urban grill is of the propane variety, so in order to achieve a wood-grilled flavor I simply toss some wood chips on the grates and close the grill lid so that smoke permeates whatever I am cooking.
The technique for these spring onions is quite simple. First, trim the root hairs from the onions, lop off some of the excess green tops, and rinse the onions. Then, douse them in olive oil, season with sea salt, and place them on a preheated grill. Add some wood chips to the grill, and close the lid. Let the onions get nice and charred, then turn them over to get an equal char on the other side.
"wood grilling" spring onions
At this point, the onions will have taken on a bit of a smoked tinge and will be al dente. The final step to finishing this treat will transform the onions into an unctuous state of smoky, sweet, salty, and melting. If this sounds good to you then let us proceed.
Wrap the onions in a neat pouch of aluminum foil and return them to the grill to steam for a little while. When you remove the pouch and open it, you will be inundated with a sweet-and-smoky aroma and the sight of the tender bulbs will speak to you, without even having tasted them. If you follow this technique with farm fresh spring onions, you will be rewarded with incomparable tenderness from the bulb to the green.
It’s up to you how you choose to serve them. They are delicious both hot and at room temperature. You can embellish them, like we did with a romesco-type sauce; Chelsea made our sauce with tangy peppadews. The onions are great as a nibbler or a perfect accompaniment to pretty much any meat, fish, or fowl that you decide to grill alongside them. We enjoyed ours as part of a tapas-style brunch with a Spanish tortilla and farmer’s market vegetables, as well as with homemade tacos al pastor that evening for dinner.
farmer's market plate with "wood grilled" spring onions
[...] wood-grilled spring onions [...]