Recipes

[novamc1]

Baked Caramelized Vidalia Onions

[from SouthernKitchen.com]

Can be used as a dip or side dish:
The classic bistro dish, French onion soup, crowned with a golden brown crouton that’s topped with gooey, molten Swiss, is a superior example of achieving balance in a dish. It showcases the magical taste of tender, slow-cooked onions with just enough nutty cheese. With this soup, and a nod to Virginia Willis’ French culinary training, as inspiration, she developed a recipe for baked, caramelized dish that can be served as a dip or as a vegetable side dish — a perfectly simple celebration of first-of-the-season Vidalia onions.

Makes about 3 cups

1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Vidalia onions, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 cup low-fat milk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon freshly picked thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste

_________________________________________________

Heat the oven to broil.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the cheese with the panko and paprika.

In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.

When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until the skillet is dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and garlic until thoroughly combined. (The mixture will be slightly dry and pasty.)

Stir in the milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup of cheese with the thyme and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to level out the onions and top with the reserved panko mixture.

Broil until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown, about 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. Serve immediately.

[deepwaterdotter]

A local restaurant offers a recipe for Wine-Glazed Onions on their menu.  I find them hard to resist with roasted chicken.  It takes about an hour at the stove:

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp brown sugar

2 lbs thinly-sliced sweet onions

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced red onions

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine (I prefer Sauvignon Blanc)

Heat 1 tbsp butter and oil in big skillet over high heat until foaming stops.  Stir in salt and brown sugar.  Add onions, stirring occasionally to soften for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat and cook until onions are dark brown and sticky, stirring often (this can take around 40 minutes).  Stir in garlic and red onion for a minute.  Stir in broth and wine, then simmer to reduce to around 2 cups.  Take off stove and whisk in 3 tbsp butter a tbsp at a time.