Caramelized Onion, Fig & Parmesan Dip

You’ll always need a few go-to recipes to make for different crowds during the holidays, knowing that they’ll be a sure hit for any gathering. This dip is one of those recipes. I wasn’t even planning on bringing this to a Christmas dinner last week but my friend said she made some delicious homemade cranberry-nut crackers, so naturally I was inspired to bring a dip that would pair perfectly. I started caramelizing onions and roasting garlic knowing that they would be my base for the dish, and then looked in my pantry and fridge two of my favourite ingredients: dried figs and parmesan. The combination of all these Italian flavours are a match made in heaven; salty, sweet, and the roasted garlic really brings it all together.

Caramelized Onion, Fig Dip & Parmesan Dip

Ingredients:

3 large onions, sliced
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. butter
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
1 whole head of garlic, roasted
6 dried figs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (225 C). Cut the top off the head of the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in a foil package and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until garlic is soft and golden in colour.

2. Heat olive oil and butter for a couple minutes on low heat. Add in onions, paprika, salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine and then leave to cook slowly for 45 minutes, only stirring occasionally. It’s important to not stir often as this will not allow the onions to caramelize properly. Once they have fully cooked, remove thyme sprigs.

3. In a blender or food processor, add caramelized onions, roasted garlic cloves, figs, parmesan and pulse 5-6 times. It should be easy to spread but not completely smooth; you should be able to see tiny bits of fig and onion.

4. Serve with baguette, crackers and apples.