Ingredients:
For the salad:
4 large red onions, skin on
Olive oil, for brushing
Flaky sea salt, to finish
For the dressing:
80 grams(2¾ ounces) walnuts (about ⅔ cup)
10 sage leaves, rolled up and cut into really thin strips
1 tablespoonhoney
2 tablespoonswhite wine vinegar
2 tablespoonsboiling water
1 teaspoonmild chile flakes
1/2 teaspoonsalt
A little freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoonsolive oil
A few sprigs of mint, leaves picked (about 15 grams/½ ounce)
Directions:
Halve the red onions through the core, keeping the skin on. Brush the cut faces with oil and place cut side down on a hot grill. Grill for about 12 minutes, until the cut surface is black and charred, then flip to skin side down and let cook for 5 minutes more. You should be able to insert a dinner knife, but with a little resistance—you want them slightly softened, but still with a little crunch. Remove to a plate to chill until they are cool enough to handle.
Make the dressing while you wait. Roast the walnuts over the fire for about 8 minutes in an old sieve or dry frying pan, stirring occasionally. Slightly crush them and mix with all the other dressing ingredients apart from the mint leaves.
Break the cooled onion halves into petals, discarding the outer skins. Set the petals with their charred rims upwards on a large serving plate. Just before serving, thinly shred the mint leaves and mix into the dressing. Drizzle all over the onion petals and sprinkle with a little sea salt to finish.
To cook without a grill: Use a lightly oiled, heated griddle pan on your stove top and cook just as you would on the fire, but beware, your house will get pretty smoky.