British-Style Caramelized Onion & White Bean Bake

Practice the claw grip technique to slice the onions safely: Tuck the fingertips of your guiding hand inward toward your palm, forming a claw. Keep your knuckles furthest forward as a guide for the flat of your knife blade. Maintain this secure grip while slicing 3 large yellow onions into thin half-moons, slowly moving your guiding hand backward as you progress.

Heat 15g unsalted butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep, oven-safe skillet or pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced yellow onions and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes until the onions are deeply golden brown, sweet, and caramelized. If they start to dry out or scorch, stir in 1 tbsp of water.

While the onions caramelize, place 400g of canned cannellini beans into a colander. Rinse them thoroughly under cold running water for 10 seconds to wash away the starchy, sodium-rich canning liquid, then let them drain completely.

Finely mince 3 cloves of garlic and strip the leaves from 5g of fresh thyme to yield about 1 tbsp of thyme leaves.

Once the onions are fully caramelized, add the minced garlic and 1 tbsp of thyme leaves to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour evenly over the onion mixture and stir well to coat. Cook for 1 minute to toast the flour and remove any raw taste.

Pour in 5 ml of apple cider vinegar and 250 ml of vegetable broth, stirring constantly to scrape up any flavorful browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and let the gravy thicken for 3 minutes.

Gently fold the rinsed cannellini beans into the gravy. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Slice 200g of crusty bread into 2cm thick slices. Grate 50g of sharp cheddar cheese.

Arrange the bread slices in a single layer over the top of the bean and onion mixture. Evenly sprinkle the 50g of grated sharp cheddar cheese over the bread.

Transfer the skillet (or transfer the mixture to a small baking dish first if your skillet is not oven-safe) to the preheated oven. Bake at 200°C for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned, and the bread is toasted. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.