The onion, the unsung hero of literally every dish I love.
The website Kitchn dedicated an entire day in their cooking school to this delicious base. In this course they say so eloquently, "Cooked onions give dishes a rich umami flavor and a subtle sweetness — you don't always know onions are there once the dish has been spiced and sauced, but you'd definitely miss them"
First, do you know how to properly dice an onion? Kitchn created a great video that may surprise you. (I wasn't cutting my onions like this)
But it wouldn't be a recipe post without a recipe.
Technically I can pick anything so I'm going to give you the recipe from last night's dinner at my house.
This recipe comes from Primavera Kitchen and it made enough for dinner tonight too!
Ground Beef Veggie Skillet
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup onions
½ cup red bell pepper
1 medium zucchini, quartered
1/2 lb asparagus, cut into three parts each
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup tomato passata (tomato sauce works too)
½ teaspoon of oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add ground beef and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground beef while it cooks. Stir occasionally and cook for about 7 minutes. Set aside.
Add onions and red bell pepper to the same skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are soft. If it is necessary, add a little bit of olive oil to help sauté the veggies.
Add the zucchini and asparagus cook for 3-5 minutes. It depends on how tender you prefer your veggies.
Add the ground beef to skillet again and mix everything together.
Add the Dijon, tomato passata, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. And cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Garnish with fresh parsley and feta cheese.