Less than two minutes after I put two yellow onions in the oven, their deep, sweet aroma began to perfume my apartment. Yes, I could barely wait to eat onions. But not just any onions: Iām talking about these onions, filled with mushroom fonduta, which I first learned about in Andrea Carlsonās new book Burdock & Co: Poetic Recipes Inspired by Ocean, Land & Air.
As the onions became more and more fragrant, I told myself to stop and breathe. Fall is the season of roasting, slow cooking, and anticipating. Itās the season of popping your food into the oven and waiting patiently, knowing that after an hour of being boxed in with the perfect amount of heat, your dinner will come out tasting just as appetizing as it smells.
We all know that whether youāre talking Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes or acorn squash, roasted vegetables are a fall-time nonnegotiable. But Iāve learned that your autumn really isn't complete until you hollow out those vegetables and pack them full of ingredients that bring you comfort and warmth.
In Carlson's recipe, you roast the onions until they become soft and pliant enough that you can scoop out the insides, leaving the outer two layers intact. Then you get to stuffing, packing each globe with a mix of torn sourdough bread, sautĆ©ed wild mushrooms, cream, and melted GruyĆØre. Itās rich and cheesy, and remarkably simple to make; thereās no fancy bĆ©chamel required.
The result: basically a bread bowl, but reversed.
One bite of the bubbling ball of mushroomy fondue confirmed what I already knew to be true: now is the time to stuff all your vegetables with cheese and carbs.
āI love doing fondue in fall and winter. Itās just so cozy and satisfying, and an onion seemed like the perfect vessel for it,ā Carlson told me over the phone. The onions come out caramelized, with a mild, sweet flavor, allowing the fancy mushrooms to take center stage. Carlson uses intensely flavored pine mushroomsāalso known as matsutakeābut the recipe is also delicious with more easily acquired shiitake mushrooms in the mix.
And thereās no reason to stop at onionsāI implore you to stuff any vegetable your heart desires. You can go big by making something like Dorie Greenspanās famous Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good. Itās quite an autumnal centerpiece, baked with a filing of savory bacon, bits of bread, and an assortment of pungent cheeses. Or you can go small, offering bite-sized cremini mushrooms stuffed with zesty panko bread crumbs.
āSometimes people donāt know what to do with the more exotic ingredients that come into seasonālike the wide variety of mushroomsāother than pan-fry them, or put them in pasta,ā said Carlson. āThis is a way to shake things up and get creative.ā
Large or small, these bread-and-cheese stuffed vegetables deserve a place on the table when youāre hosting a crowd for a holiday meal. But even though the flavors feel festive, Iām not going to wait that long. This weekend Iāve got another date with a warm oven and a luscious serving of cheese-stuffed onions for one.
