Caramelised Onions : An Inheritance Recipe

Looking for a kitchen miracle, look no further than Caramelised Onions.
 
Since Autumn is onion season, I thought I would stop for a minute and reflect on this humble crop which we use day in, day out without paying any attention to it. 

I have two vivid memories related to this common allium, the first has for background: London Bridge train station platform. I was coming back from work one chilly afternoon, years back. There were only few people. One of the passenger who was waiting for a train, was a construction worker. He was biting into a large raw onion. Never having seen anyone eating a raw onion before, let alone with such delight I  stared at the scene for a long time.
 
How could someone eat a raw onion? such harsh, strong flavour which bounds to stay on the breath for a long time.
 
The other memory strand emerges from a friend's kitchen, she is standing behind her young daughter, telling her to stir the onions until they become translucent, never to stop or they will catch and burn and yes it will take a long time but the transparency is a sign of sweetness. Why did that scene stick in my mind? 
 
I'm not sure. May be, I was already thinking about Inheritance and Recipes. May be the transformation from the harshest to the sweetest and the patience involved in the process was something worth keeping in my memory bank, it can after all be transferable, can't it?
 
So here is my recipe for #InheritanceRecipes, one to pass on to the next generation because what learners need most of all is a set of skills which can be adapted. Caramelised Onions or Confiture d'Onions as it's charmingly called in French is a very versatile recipe which can be spread over pâtés, used with feta as a pizza topping and much much more....and that does not include eating straight from the pan.

Inheritance recipes is a bloggers challenge co-hosted by myself and Coffee 'n Vanilla
 
    
Caramelised onions
 
Ingredients
  • Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
  • Olive oil
  • Butter
  • Salt

  • .     Balsamic vinegar
     
    Method
    Chop off the tail and top, discard.Slice the onion thinly,
         tip : if you are slicing a lot of onions ask someone who wears contact lenses to help or wear swimming goggles it might look silly but it will stop you crying.
     
    I use half butter half oil preferably olive oil as it heats less than another. Heat the oil/butter in a pan until shimmering. place the onions in the pan, spread them evenly to avoid burning
     
    Coat the onion with the fat, add a little (like a tsp for one onion, a tablespoon for more) balsamic vinegar, stir for 10 minutes
     
    Let them cook for another 20 minutes stirring occasionally, note that there is no added sugar as the onions will provide.
     
    Use according to recipe and here are a few worthy examples
     
    For  recipes with caramelised onions take a look at

    De tout Coeur Limousin: Slow cook pork in red wine with caramelised onions and aniseed
     

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