Cipolle Arrostite

In Mantua and Verona, bitterly cold in winter, the market people keep themselves alive with charcoal braziers, and at the same time are roasting on them the large purple winter onions, complete with skins, in a big perforated tin. You take them home, peel and eat them with salt and olive oil. They are often sold in vegetable shops, having been roasted in a nearby bread oven, after the bread has been baked. You can roast them yourself in a moderate oven; they take about 50 minutes.