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Cipollata Siciliana

This is a great way to celebrate the humble and simple onion. Last September at the farm, we planted out lots of onions to overwinter so that we could have an early harvest come the spring. It was our first time experimenting with this technique and we have been so thrilled with the results! We currently are in a glut of tall, crunchy, juicy and fragrant spring onions which are just starting to swell up. Their resilience to survive and thrive over an entire winter has made them so sweet and delicious that they demand a recipe that honours them.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 bunch Spring onions (6pc), larger ones work best
  • 6 thin slices of fresh pork belly
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (Colatura di Alici is best for this but any fish sauce will work great)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 1 tbsp picked thyme
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • Salt and pepper

TO PREPARE:

FOR THE BASTING MIXTURE:

  • Mix together your olive oil, chili flakes and fish sauce
  • Using a microplane, grate in your fresh garlic and the zest of one lemon
  • Run a knife through the thyme once or twice and add it to the mixture along with a few twists of fresh cracked pepper

TO GRILL:

  • Prep your bbq by getting the charcoal good and hot. You want a good bed of embers to grill over. Set a wire grill rack a few inches above your coals
  • Season your bundles with a bit of kosher salt and place them on the grill with the bulb end of the onions in the hottest zone. Stay close by so you can flip and move the onions frequently. This ensures that the pork belly gets crispy and tender and does not burn
  • When the pork belly begins to get some colour, start to gently brush with your basting mixture. Keep flipping so the mixture can char onto the pork
  • Once the belly is crispy and the onions are soft inside, take them off the grill and rest them on your cutting board. Baste them generously one last time, remove all the toothpicks and slice the bundles into three
  • Place on a warm plate, drizzle with olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon and a pinch of flaky salt. Enjoy with a cold beer and breathe in the spring season!