A simple and delicious way to use onions as a vegetable, one that long ago became part of the Middle American repertoire but has sadly dropped out. Time for a revival? This dish is unquestionably best with small onions—pearl onions—or with cipollini, the squat Italian variety, or the very fresh spring onions, usually sold only at that time of year and looking like scallions on steroids. It will work almost as well with leeks, which should be trimmed first, then parboiled for 2 or 3 minutes. If you must use larger onions, parboil for a good 10 minutes before peeling and baking. Convert this to a gorgeous spring gratin by adding a handful each of fresh wild mushrooms, like morels, and fresh peas to the mix. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: shallots, treated exactly as you would pearl onions.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 1/2 pounds pearl or spring onions, trimmed

　　Butter for the dish

　　A small grating of nutmeg

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　

Step 1

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Drop the onions into the water and leave them there for a minute. Peel them, then put them in a buttered ovenproof dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, then pour the cream over all. Bake until the top is brown and the onions are soft, about 30 minutes.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.