Caramelized Onion Flatbread and Figgy Burrata Salad

These two dishes go so well together that you could effectively combine them into one, and just put all of the salad toppings right on top of the flatbread! It’s basically a you do you situation. Caramelized onions can take a little while to make, but they’re so worth the wait. The more the onions cook down, the sweeter they get, and adding a little bit of balsamic and thyme really enhance their flavor. Make sure to salt as you go along, and to start watching the onions carefully once they stop steaming so they don’t burn! Plopping the onions on top of some whipped feta also creates a really nice contrast - the onions are so sweet that they’re practically calling out for sharp feta, which gets a little spicy from some garlic. This salad is also the perfect compliment to the flatbread, and also just a great end of summer dish, since figs are everywhere right now. They are one of my absolute favorite types of fruit because their flavor is so complex, and they can go both sweet or savory. Here, you cook some to make them really jammy, and then also keep some fresh in the salad for a nice contrast (such fun to have something two ways, no?). I also added not one but two types of cheese - burrata and feta. You could do just one if that's what you have, but I love how the tanginess of the feta mixes with the sweet of the basil and the figs. Plus, who could say no to more cheese?   

Caramelized Onion Flatbread with Whipped Feta

Serves 4Ingredients: 

• 1 store bought pizza dough, defrosted and brought to room temperature
• 2 big yellow onions, cut into to ¼ inch slices through the stem end
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• Couple sprigs thyme 
• 3 oz good feta (preferably feta that isn’t pre-crumbled, as that tends to get both slimy and dry, don’t ask me how. I like French feta!)
• 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (full fat is best)
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice from half a lemon
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• Couple leaves of basil 

Method

Make the caramelized onions: 

• In a medium sized pan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil (reserving 2 more tbsp for later) over medium high heat. Add the onions, a big pinch of salt and stir everything to combine. The salt is important here because it both helps break down the onions so they cook faster, and it season them. You’ll have boring onions if you don’t add enough salt at the beginning. 
• Cook the onions over medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to melt down. After they have started to get translucent, with specks of brown color, add 2-3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and the thyme, and turn the heat down to medium low (now that all the water has been cooked out, you want the temperature lower so that they don’t burn). Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 10-15 minutes until they are melty and brown all the way through and, about 30 minutes total.

Make the whipped feta and the pine nuts

• Preheat your oven to 350
• Put the pine nuts in an oven proof pan and place in the oven, shaking to redistribute every couple of minutes. You want to avoid cooking the nuts on the stove top where they won't cook evenly (and are prone to burning). Toast the nuts pine nuts in the oven until golden brown and aromatic, about 10 minutes.
• To make the spread, add the feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, a big pinch of salt, and a crack of black pepper to a blender, pulsing until smooth. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed (if it doesn’t have “pop”, you might need some more salt. Not tasting the garlic? Add another half clove! Not getting enough tang? Add some more feta - you get the drill)

Bring it all together

• Put a grill pan on the stovetop on high heat. You want this as hot as you can get it. 
• Lightly oil the dough (if you haven’t done this already according to the instructions) and divide it into four pieces. Using your hands, lightly stretch out the dough until its about ¼ inch thick all the way across - it should be just slightly translucent if you hold up to the light. I wouldn't use a rolling pin for this, as the dough is a little oily. Its also ok if its slightly uneven - just makes it rustic!
• Place the dough on the grill pan, being careful to lay it out evenly so none of the pieces get tucked under themselves (if that happens, they won’t cook evenly). 
• Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until you get nice dark brown grill marks -  watch it carefully, though! It can go from perfectly grilled to charcoal pretty quickly. This will smoke a bit, so don’t be alarmed if your alarm goes off (get it?).
• When cooked through, remove the flatbread from the heat. Top with the feta spread, caramelized onions, pine nuts, and a few pieces of basil.

Figgy Salad with Burrata and Basil

Serves 4:

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 pound baby arugula
• 1 pint fresh figs
• ¼ cup olive oil 
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves (about 25 big basil leaves)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 ball of burrata
• 2 oz good feta (Preferably feta that isn’t pre-crumbled, as that tends to get both slimy and dry, don’t ask me how. I like french feta!)
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• Zest from ½ lemon

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350. 
• While the oven is preheating, make your dressing. In a small container (ideally with a top so you can shake it easily to combine), add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a big pinch of salt, a crack of black pepper and about 5 chopped basil leaves. You want the basil leaves to infuse into the dressing. Taste it! Adjust as needed. 
• Grab half of the figs to cook, saving the other half to use fresh in the salad. It’s best if you cook the least ripe figs because cooking them will help bring out the flavor. Cut the figs you’re cooking in in half, place in an oven safe container and drizzle with a little glug of olive oil. Cook the figs until jammy, about 10 minutes. 
• Put the pine nuts in an oven proof pan and place in the oven, shaking to redistribute every couple of minutes. You want to avoid cooking the nuts on the stove top where they won't cook evenly (and are prone to burning). Toast the nuts pine nuts in the oven until golden brown and aromatic, about 10 minutes.
• While the figs and pine nuts are cooking, slice the rest of your basil leaves. Put in a big big bowl with the arugula, drizzle with ⅔ of the dressing, and toss to combine. Taste, either adjusting the seasoning or adding more dressing as needed. I like to start by adding less dressing than I might need - you can always add more later, but you can't undo a heavy handed pour.
• Cut the rest of the figs into quarters. Add all figs and pine nuts to the salad, and crumble the feta over the top. Add the burrata and top with the zest from half a lemon