Ingredients
For the caramelised shallots
2 large banana shallots
olive oil
1 sprig thyme
salt
For the shallot purée
8 large banana shallots
75g/3oz salted butter
500ml/18fl oz good-quality chicken stock, plus extra for the sauce
For the sauce
2kg/4½lb chicken wings, each chopped into thirds at the joint
4 banana shallots
groundnut oil
25g/1oz salted butter
200g/7oz firm, small button mushrooms, very thinly sliced
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 very ripe plum tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
salt
For the baked baby onions
150g/5½oz small baby onions
salt, to cover
For the beef
groundnut oil
1 piece boneless well-aged beef sirloin, such as Dexter or other rare breed, about 800g/1lb¾oz
2 tsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the deep-fried shallots
1 banana shallot
about 100ml/3½fl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten with salt and freshly ground black pepper
about 100g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
For the fried spring onions
20 spring onions, trimmed
dash olive oil
For the white onions
1 white onion, thinly sliced in rings
soy sauce
salt and crushed white pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 3.
2. For the caramelised shallots, place two of the shallots (leaving the skin on) on a sheet of aluminium foil. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter over the leaves from a thyme sprig and some salt. Wrap up in the foil and bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Leave to cool, still wrapped.
3. For the shallot purée, peel and very thinly slice the eight shallots. Melt the butter in a pan, add the sliced shallots and fry over a low to medium heat for about one hour or until well caramelised. Pour in the chicken stock, scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it and simmer for two minutes. Cool slightly before pouring everything into a blender and blending to a purée, which will be like a thick soup. Sieve the purée into a clean pan and set aside.
4. To make the sauce, lay the chopped chicken wings in a large roasting tin and roast in the oven for 1-1½ hours or until golden-brown and well caramelised, turning them every ten minutes so they don't catch. Meanwhile, slice the shallots thinly (setting aside one of the sliced shallots). Heat a little groundnut oil in a small pan with the butter, add the sliced mushrooms and the three thinly sliced shallots and cook over a low heat for about 45 minutes or until softened and caramelised. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Tip the chicken wings into a large colander set over a bowl. Reserve the fat and juices that drain into the bowl. Put the chicken wings and the cooked mushrooms and shallots into a pressure cooker. Add a sprig each of rosemary and thyme, the bay leaves, tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of salt. Pour in enough chicken stock so the chicken wings are barely covered, then pressure cook for 45 minutes. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, put everything into a large heavy pan instead, wrap three layers of aluminium foil over the top of the pan and place the lid tightly on top. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer gently for 1½ hours.)
6. Meanwhile, bake the baby onions. Turn the oven temperature up to 200C/390F/Gas 6. Lay the baby onions (skins on) in a small casserole and add enough salt to cover them. Cover with a lid and bake for one hour or until soft and the salt has created a crust. Remove and cool slightly, then peel off the skins and set aside in a bowl.
7. While the baby onions are cooking, cook the beef (see note below). Heat a little groundnut oil in a pan, add the beef and sear to brown it on the outside. Transfer the beef to a vacuum-sealed, airtight bag. Heat a pan of water to 58C/136F. Put the beef in the pan and poach, uncovered, for 1¼ hours, keeping the water at a constant 58C/136F, checking with a thermometer to keep the temperature constant. Remove the beef from the water and leave to rest in the bag.
8. For the deep-fried shallots, peel and very thinly slice the shallot, preferably using a mandoline. Put in a shallow dish and pour over enough milk to cover. Leave to soak for about one hour.
9. Continue making the sauce: when the pressure cooking is done, allow the chicken wings and stock to cool; then strain the stock through muslin into a clean saucepan. Reduce over a high heat to a light sauce consistency, not too thick.
10. Whisk one tablespoon of the reserved fat and juices from the chicken into the reduced stock and stir in the reserved sliced shallot. Set the sauce aside and keep warm.
11. For the fried spring onions, drop the spring onions into a pan of boiling salted water to blanch for two minutes; then remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl of seasoned iced water.
12. For the white onions, dress the white onion slices with a little olive oil, soy sauce and salt. Set aside.
13. To finish the deep-fried shallots, drain the milk-soaked shallots and pat them dry, then dip in the beaten egg. Season the breadcrumbs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and use to coat the onions. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan, until a breadcrumb sizzles and browns when dropped in it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous - do not leave unattended!) Add the breaded shallots to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden-brown and bubbles stop coming to the surface of the oil. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
14. To finish the caramelised shallots, take the shallots from the foil parcel and split down the middle (skin still on). Heat a splash of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and lay the shallots in the pan, cut-side down. Fry for about four minutes or until caramelised. Keep warm.
15. For the spring onions, drain the spring onions well; then fry in a little hot oil for 2-3 minutes. Keep warm.
16. Remove the beef from its bag. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, add the beef and cook for no more than one minute, rolling it around in the hot fat. It should be well browned on the outside but still pink all through.
17. To serve, season the beef with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then carve into four slices and lay a slice on each serving plate. Scatter the dressed white onion slices over the beef. Arrange the 'textures of the onion' around the plate - the caramelised shallots, fried spring onions, deep-fried shallots, baked baby onions and a dollop of the warmed shallot purée. Reheat the sauce gently, then drizzle over and around the whole dish.
Note: Sous-vide, which means 'under vacuum', is a great technique for cooking meat as well as fish and vegetables, and is widely used in restaurants. The meat is slowly poached in a sealed bag at an exact temperature so texture, moisture and flavour are kept intact. Shrink-wrap the meat using a vacuum-sealing machine, then poach in a Clifton water bath, both of which are specially designed for the professional kitchen.
