The concept of deliberatley burning onions and making a seasoning from them might come as a surprise to many people, but given a chance, it may just transform they way one goes about bringing more richness to a sauce, especially rich meat-based ones that already have an underlying sweetness, such as bolognese or beef ragu.

Burnt Onion Powder Recipe

Makes 1 jarful

Ingredients

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 190C. Peel and then thinly slice the onions and arrange on a baking tray in an even layer. Use two trays if you need more space. Place in the oven for around 1 hour, until they're completely blackened. Give them a mix/turn half way so encourage them to blacken evenly.

  2. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before blitzing to a fine powder in a blender or spice grinder. Store in a jar in the cupboard.