First, let me begin by saying I used to hate onions with a passion. The taste, the smell, the watering eyes; I just didn’t get it. My first good experience with an onion was an onion ring, but I rationalized that the only reason it was tasty was the deep fat fried batter. Because everyone knows once you deep fry something it’s just better.
For years I only ate onion rings and staunchly avoided all other forms of the vegi-beast. Then one day while dining at The Olive Garden, I forgot to remove the red onions from my salad and quelle surprise! It was DAMN GOOD! Thus began my downward spiral into onion breath. Lucky for me, my husband also discovered onions at this time, and marital strife was avoided. Heartburn, however, was not.
Then caramelized onions walked into my life. The great thing about caramelized onions is that you get all the sweet, caramelized, oniony goodness without the nasty breath or heartburn later. The trick to caramelizing is to take your time, and cook them slowly. Like over an hour slowly.
Fall is the perfect time for making this side dish as onions are fresh from the field. Plus it doesn’t hurt that colder weather often finds one in the house with nothing to do.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon (5ml) olive oil per onion
1-6 yellow onions. I use 1.5 onions for two generous servings.
1-2 tablespoons (14-28g) butter – optional
Pinch of sugar – optional
Pinch of salt – optional
Directions
1. Find your biggest skillet or sauté pan. The wider the better. You want to have as much of the onion in contact with the pan as possible.
2. Cut the top and root off the onions, then peel. Cut onions in half. Lay cut side down and slice the onions lengthwise. You can somewhat see what the slices should look like in the picture above.
***If you wear glasses/contacts, wear your contacts! I swear they create a protective barrier and cut down on ‘onion eyes’. Rumor has it you can also hold a piece of bread in your mouth as you slice, not sure if this works.
3. Heat skillet with oil over medium-high heat until heated up. Some say it looks shimmery, my mom says stick a toothpick in and look for bubbles; I use a popcorn kernel as they pop around 350°F which is perfect sauté temperature. Thanks, Alton Brown!
4. Toss in onions and stir to coat with oil. Spread your onions out into an even layer and let cook, stirring every now and again. If your onions seem like they’re burning, reduce the heat to medium or medium low.
5. After about 10-15 minutes the onions should begin to soften/become translucent. Keyword being should, this step seems to take forever for me. Add the optional butter, sugar, and salt. I don’t use the sugar and salt, but I absolutely feel the butter is necessary. Only because my credo is “It’s Better With Butter!”
6. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour stirring every few minutes. The trick here is to let the onions brown but stir before they burn. I like to play games on my iPod to pass the time. Things with two to three minute levels are perfect.
It always takes me an hour or more to get them caramelized, but the end product is so delicious that I’ll gladly sacrifice an hour to the onion gods.
Image © Jenessa Hooper for BitchBuzz