Caramelized Onions

The main piece on the food page in today's Recorder was about caramelized onions--yum! Onions are one food that is available from local growers pretty much year-round here in the Pioneer Valley. When you caramelize them, you can make them into a star of the culinary show rather than just a background flavor or filler.

The food page piece was about making them in a big batch, but you can just as easily (more easily! and faster!) do small amounts at a time. Just slice up an onion (or a few) and saute in a little olive oil over very low heat until they become very soft and dark brown. Be sure to stir periodically to keep them from sticking and burning.

What next? Oh, the possibilities! One of my favorites is to combine with goat cheese (which we also have several excellent local sources of!). You can just put these together on crackers or bread, or they make an excellent pizza topping. Caramelized onions also go well with potatoes (roasted, perhaps) or broiled or grilled meat. Try adding them to homemade tomato sauce, or combine with sauteed greens.

Another option I like is to add a little balsamic vinegar to the pan as I cook the onions, adding another dimension of flavor. This combination goes especially well with greens.