While cooking, listen to this: Mah Shehalev Bachar - Kobi Aflalo

When I was in high school, I would spend entire winter vacations at our family friends’ house in Ann Arbor, about 30 minutes from where I grew up. Our parents were really close, and so it was only natural that me and their older daughter would become close as well. To this day we have zero idea how we became friends, and we have tried our absolute hardest to pinpoint the moment it happened. As of now, the assumption is we just woke up one day and, in a puff of magical smoke, we were friends.

During these staycations we would watch movies, bop around Ann Arbor and play VERY intense rounds of the Game of Life.

If you think I’m being hyperbolic, you should know that we would usually end up hiding each other’s people pegs (or whatever the hell they’re called, those placeholder things) under plastic bushes or up in plastic trees. We were in it TO WIN IT.

Anyway! We also ate a LOT. We usually made malawach for breakfast or lunch, which is a round of dough that you fry up in a pan and can top with veggies, eggs and cheese. I was, and am still, OBSESSED with it. How we haven’t made it for the blog yet is beyond me, but expect an appearance soon!

Sometimes we would make homemade crepes, or spend the day making jam from scratch. We ate very, very well.

The food that sticks with me the most, though, is this tart. It is stupid easy - it’s literally caramelized onions, feta and rosemary on puff pastry. That’s it. And it is divine.

We would make this for dinner a lot, but I haven’t had it since I think I was in high school. When we made this and I took a bite, I swear I went back to 2008 for a minute. It feels like home. It’s magical. She and her family ended up moving back to Israel, and we see each other only once a year or so, but having these food memories with them makes me feel just as connected to them as I did when wearing a tie as a belt was still acceptable.

It’s ideal for a chill weeknight dinner with a big salad and some white wine on the side. It can also be a side dish to your meal, but I think this tart needs all of the spotlight. The onions take their sweet ass time caramelizing, but it is SO worth it. Put them on the stove right when you get home - check on them every once in a while, but you can really just do your thing while they’re cooking. I highly recommend a rousing, to-the-death board game, but to each their own.

Love and meows, Rina

CARAMELIZED ONION + FETA PUFF PASTRY TART

Yield: 6-9 slices, depending on how much everyone wants

Active Time: 10m | Inactive Time: 1h 30m

Category: Main, Sides

Source: the incomparable Yaakova Sacerdoti

Note: we use both olive oil and butter for caramelizing onions - the butter gives an amazing flavor, and the oil has a higher smoke point. Together they make the perfect caramelizing team!

Ingredients

1½ Tablespoons olive oil

1½ Tablespoons butter

3 large onions, sliced into thin half moons

1 sheet puff pastry

8 ounces crumbled feta

Dried rosemary

Instructions

Thaw the puff pastry: leave the puff pastry out on your counter for 40 minutes before using.

Caramelize the onions: add the olive oil and butter to a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot and place on low heat (like, 2/3 max on your dial). When the butter has totally melted, add in all of the sliced onions, toss to coat, and leave alone. The magic ingredient in caramelizing onion is just time - check on them every 10 minutes or so to make sure nothing is burning, but other than a quick stir every once in a while, walk away. Cook until the onions are a deep golden brown - this might take a while, so having some wine in your fridge isn’t a bad idea.

Prep: preheat the oven to 400 F and spritz a 9 x 13 dish with some cooking spray.

Assemble! roll out the puff pastry until it fits nicely into a 9 x 13 dish. Lay the puff pastry in there, making sure to press it into the corners and sides. Layer the caramelized onions evenly, followed by a hefty sprinkling of feta and as little or as much rosemary as you desire.

Bake: bake the tart for 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry and feta are golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then slice up and serve.

To keep: I have literally never seen this tart make it past a meal, but I imagine you can wrap it up in foil or stick it in a plastic bag or container and refrigerate for a few days.