Caramelized Onions and Feta Pinwheels

I have been down with a severe sinus infection all day today. This meant getting the whole shebang of a headache, constant coughing, chills, fever and my perennial foe – asthma!  So I lay huddled up in bed all day while my three dogs lay close to me and kept me warm.  I told myself that my work and especially the blog will have to wait till I could get back on my feet.  Besides, there was virtually nothing to cook with since I haven’t been to the grocery store in a few days and was planning to go today until I woke up with this nasty infection.  I took all the medications I could fit into my mouth and went right back to bed.  Finally the antibiotics started to kick in and late in the afternoon I crawled out of bed.  Even though I am in condition to go to a grocery store, I decided that I had to cook something and rummaged through my freezer to find a packet of puff pastry.  It is an ingredient that I always keep handy because I love to work with it. I know I know, it is not good for me but I am sick and I need comfort food.  I also found an unopened packet of crumbled feta cheese – so combined the two to make Caramelized Onions and Feta Pinwheels. These are crunchy and flaky on the outside and gooey, caramelized and tangy (from the feta) on the inside – perfect to make me feel better!

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Ingredients:

1.    Two Large Red Onions (white ones are okay too)
2.    3-4 ounces of crumbled feta
3.    2 tablespoons of butter
4.    1 tablespoon of Extra virgin olive oil
5.    6-8 leaves of fresh sage
6.    1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano leaves
7.    1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
8.    1.5 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
9.    Salt to taste (I added 1 teaspoon)

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

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2.    Peel and slice the two large onions in rings.

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3.    In a large pan (which has a heavy bottom) put the chunk of butter and heat it on medium heat.

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4.    When the butter is all melted, add the onion rings to the pan and stir.
5.    Continue cooking the onions in the butter over low to medium heat. This process should take about 15-20 minutes. It is essential to do it slowly over low heat to caramelize the onions.

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6.    When the onions look mushy and soft, add a tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil and stir again.

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7.    Roll the 6-8 fresh sage leaves and slice them to make small pieces.

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8.    Also chop the fresh oregano leaves.

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9.    Add the herbs to the onions and stir.
10.    Also add the dry rosemary leaves and salt and stir. Switch the heat off and let the caramelized onions cool down.
11.    Roll out a sheet of puff pastry on a large cutting board. Sprinkle a little bit of all-purpose flour under the pastry sheet to prevent it from sticking to the cutting board.

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12.    Place a layer of the cooled caramelized onions over the puff pastry sheet.

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13.    Add a layer of crumbled feta over the onions and the puff pastry.

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14.    Gently start rolling the puff pastry from one end.
15.    When the whole pastry is rolled, seal the end of it by putting a little bit of water on the edge and pushing the ends together.

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16.    Using a sharp serrated knife slice the roll into pieces about two inches wide.

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17.    Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put these pieces on the paper (about 2 inches apart from each other)
18.    Place the cookie sheet in the heated oven and let the rolls cook for about 30 minutes (check on them after 23-25 minutes to make sure they are not burnt – all ovens vary in their heat level).
19.    Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and let the pinwheels cool down a little.
20.    Using a think spatula, gently remove the pinwheels from the sheet. Serve the while they are still hot. They can also be re-heated in a toaster oven on low heat. Do not microwave or they lose their crunch and get soggy.

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comments

  1. Permalink Submitted by mjskit on Sat, 15/12/2012 - 19:18

    WOW! These look absolutely delicious! What a pinwheel!

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Sat, 15/12/2012 - 21:09

      Thanks – let me know if you try any of my recipes – would love some feedback!

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