The Cross and the Cleaver… Onions
About a year ago I suggested a simple version of the French onion soup and ended with a thought about onions. I would like to continue that reflection😊.
There are sauteed onions, baked onions, onion rings, blooming onions, pickled sliced red onions for sandwiches, raw onion slices on burgers and sandwiches, finely diced shallots for salad dressings, not to mention the English onions pickled in malt vinegar, the Chinese onion cakes or the Italian cipollini onions baked in balsamic vinegar; better still, the Polish onion and sugar coughing syrup.
For the people of Israel onions were one of the few vegetables they remembered from their time in Egypt. For Egyptians onion rings symbolized eternity. Onion, with its layers, is used to describe the layers of a culture. There is more to the onion than meets the eye 😉.
As I must be careful with eating raw onions, I love cooking with them. They are so… beautifully versatile. Once you make what I call “the base” there will be no end to possibilities. Let’s get chopping!!! To lessen the crying some people keep onions in water, some wear cooking glasses and some chop them outside ….
THE BASE:
4-5 large onions (white or yellow), peeled, cut in half, and sliced medium thick (1/8 of an inch at most).
Separate the half-rings and toss with two pinches of salt and one pinch of pepper. Let them rest for about 30 min.
Mix them in a heavy casserole dish with 3 tbsp. of oil, or butter, and bake in the oven:
45 min. at 400°F or 90 min. at 350°F stirring every 15 min. Alternatively use a heavy-duty stovetop pan at med-heat and sauté until caramelised. Result should be 2-3 cups, soft texture, sweet to taste, with deep golden colour.
Avoid burning!!!! When in doubt, lower the heat or add some liquid (white wine, red wine, water, beef broth, chicken broth – depending on what you are planning) … you have “the base” 😊
If you don’t feel like cooking anymore, heap that on a slice of rye bread and dig in. Sprinkle it with cheese and pop under a broiler until cheese bubbles.
Or … make easy BACON-ONION MARMALADE
Start frying ½ pound of maple smoked bacon cut into small pieces, when cooked but still soft, drain and reserve most of the fat, then mix in ½ cup of brown sugar, ¼ maple syrup and ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar (or balsamic vinegar). Keep stirring and when sugar has dissolved, add 1 or 2 cups of “the base” (depending on your preference). Cook stirring until marmalade like consistency is achieved. Serve warm on baquette with blue cheese or sharp aged cheddar or keep in the fridge to spread on your favourite ham and cheese sandwich. Also amazing on a burger fresh off the grill.
Or … add a few prunes, few pieces of sausage, some reconstituted dried mushrooms, a drop of sherry, cup or red wine, simmer for about 45 min and you have a “cheat” version of Polish bigos. I write “cheat” because the real one takes over 48 hours to prepare and almost everyone, I know guards their recipe! 😉
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