by Ifediba Nwokedi

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: December 29, 2011

The seductive smell of caramelized onions alludes to the glorious infusion of taste that bursts on your palate as the onions melt away in your mouth. Food fanatics know that the best flavours and dishes are made from simple and fresh ingredients.

To create the perfect caramelized onions you can either bake them slowly or fry them in olive oil and butter.

BAKING

Ingredients:

3lbs of sweet yellow onions, peeled and sliced thin

cup of balsamic vinegar

cup of olive oil

1 tsp of sea salt

1 table spoon of herbes de Provence

Preheat the oven at 300F and spread the onions evenly on an oiled cookie sheet. Gently pour the rest of the ingredients over the onions and mix well with your hands. Bake this batch for an hour then stir the onions around. Then bake it again for another hour until they are golden brown.

FRYING

Ingredients

3 lbs of sweet yellow onions, peeled and sliced thin

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

cup of white wine or water

Caramelizing onions in a frying pan takes a bit of patience! You need a medium non-stick frying pan and a wooden spoon or spatula. First heat the frying pan at the lowest heat. Melt down the olive oil and butter, making sure it does not burn. Add the onions and occasionally stir. They will reduce to half the size after frying them on the lowest heat for an hour. Jikes! So Long! But do not be tempted to go any higher. The aim is to get the onions nicely soft and sweet but yet brown.

After an hour increase the heat to medium and fry until golden brown for about another 25minutes until they are golden. There will be lovely sticky bits at the bottom.

Take the pan off the heat and then add a cup of dry white wine which will help to draw out the taste and incorporate the sticky bits nicely. This step will make the onions browner.

Then put the frying pan on the heat again which will ensure that the alcohol does not catch fire and flame up. When it all turns beautifully brown, add salt and pepper and even some shavings of Parmesan cheese. The flavour is superb!

Caramelized onions are a delight on their own or with various other dishes. My favourite is caramelized onions with homemade mashed potatoes!

The best dishes are made when we exercise patience and enjoy how fresh ingredients are transformed! So what are you waiting for, just give it a go. Remember practice makes perfect!

Happy cooking!

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