April Bloomfield

Ingredient: Pig

About April

April Bloomfield has spent most of her life in the kitchen and had the pleasure of working with some of the most revolutionary chefs before taking on a kitchen of her own. A native of Birmingham, England, April began her culinary studies at Birmingham College. From there, she went on to hone her craft through cook positions in various kitchens throughout London and Northern Ireland, including Kensington Place and Bibendum. It was under the guidance of Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray at The River Café where she learned to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of food.

April Bloomfield is the executive chef and co-owner of the Michelin- starred The Spotted Pig, The Breslin, The John Dory, Tosca, and Salvation Taco restaurants. She was nominated for an Emmy for co hosting the second season of the PBS show Mind of a Chef.

April’s first cookbook, A Girl and Her Pig, was published by Ecco in April 2012. She was honored as a Food & Wine “Best New Chef” in 2007, and in May 2014, she received the coveted James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: New York City.” In April 2015, April’s second cookbook, A Girl and Her Greens, was published.

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Why I Love The Pig

"I adore pigs, and I love eating them and cooking them, and I love using the whole animal.”

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Sausage Stuffed Onions

Serves 4

- 4 medium red onions (about 8 oz each), peeled, stem ends trimmed, root ends trimmed but left intact
- About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Maldon or another flaky sea salt
- 1 head garlic
- A small handful of thyme sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon leaves
- 1/2 cup Italian sausage, removed from the casing
- 1 cup heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 400F.

Put the onions in a medium Dutch oven or another overproof pot with a lid. Drizzle some olive oil in your hand and rub it onto the onions. You’ll probably end up using 2 tablespoons. Grab some salt and crush it between your fingers as you sprinkle it all over each onion, turing the onions to make sure the salt adheres to all sides. Put the onions in the pot.

Tear off the outermost layers of peel from the garlic head so the cloves are exposed. Put it in the middle of the onions and drizzle on a little olive oil. Scatter the time sprigs over the onions and pour 1/3 cup water around the onions and garlic.

Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Cook just until the onions are lightly browned and soft enough that you can insert a knife into the center with barely any resistance, 50 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the onions. Let them sit, covered, on the top of the stove until they are cool enough to handle, so they get even softer. (Leave the oven on.)

Carefully transfer the onions to a plate or cutting board, leaving the liquid behind in the pot. Use a small spoon to scoop out a few layers of the insides of each onion, and stuff each one with about two tablespoons of the sausage. Add the scooped out onion bits to a 12-inch ovenproof pan or small baking dish. (When you add the cream and water, the liquid should come up to a little less than halfway up the sides of the onions.) Squeeze the soft flesh of the garlic cloves into the pan, and add the thyme leaves, cream, 1 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the stuffed onions, sausage side up, and baste them with the liquid for a minute or two.

Pop the pan into the oven, uncovered, and cook, basting the onions every 0 minutes or so, until the sauce is thick but not gloopy, about 40 minutes. Taste the sauce and add a little more salt, if you’d like. Bring the pan to the table, spoon a little of the sauce over the top of each onion, and dig in.

4 medium red onions (about 8 oz each), peeled, stem ends trimmed, root ends trimmed but left intact
About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Maldon or another flaky sea salt
1 head garlic
A small handful of thyme sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon leaves
1/2 cup Italian sausage, removed from the casing
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Put the onions in a medium Dutch oven or another overproof pot with a lid. Drizzle some olive oil in your hand and rub it onto the onions. You’ll probably end up using 2 tablespoons. Grab some salt and crush it between your fingers as you sprinkle it all over each onion, turing the onions to make sure the salt adheres to all sides. Put the onions in the pot.

Tear off the outermost layers of peel from the garlic head so the cloves are exposed. Put it in the middle of the onions and drizzle on a little olive oil. Scatter the time sprigs over the onions and pour 1/3 cup water around the onions and garlic.

Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Cook just until the onions are lightly browned and soft enough that you can insert a knife into the center with barely any resistance, 50 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the onions. Let them sit, covered, on the top of the stove until they are cool enough to handle, so they get even softer. (Leave the oven on.)

Carefully transfer the onions to a plate or cutting board, leaving the liquid behind in the pot. Use a small spoon to scoop out a few layers of the insides of each onion, and stuff each one with about two tablespoons of the sausage. Add the scooped out onion bits to a 12-inch ovenproof pan or small baking dish. (When you add the cream and water, the liquid should come up to a little less than halfway up the sides of the onions.) Squeeze the soft flesh of the garlic cloves into the pan, and add the thyme leaves, cream, 1 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the stuffed onions, sausage side up, and baste them with the liquid for a minute or two.

Pop the pan into the oven, uncovered, and cook, basting the onions every 0 minutes or so, until the sauce is thick but not gloopy, about 40 minutes. Taste the sauce and add a little more salt, if you’d like. Bring the pan to the table, spoon a little of the sauce over the top of each onion, and dig in.

Delicacies Chef’s Table

Mar 1 - May 31, 2016

Chef April chose to support non-profit Share Our Strength with a monetary donation (resulting from sales) from Delicacies in 2016.

Mythology

The pig is sacred and the pig is profane. The pig is omnivorous and it is delicious. The pig divides us: many cultures celebrate it; some cultures abhor it. In the barnyard and in the wild the pig is a devourer, most often depicted as female, due to its chronic fertility. Because the pig roots forward with its nose down, never moving backwards, it symbolizes progress and prosperity. Wear this token to awaken buried creativity, that which rises from the deepest muddy recesses to lofty heights.

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