Let me tell you that these onions are seriously addictive (ask my neighbor Maren!). I prefer to always have them in my fridge as they make a great snack for an impromptu party. Serve them cold or at room temperature with soft goat cheese on a piece of crusty rustic baguette or ciabatta. Blue cheese will work as well. They also make quite a terrific topping for steaks, lamb roast and pan seared duck breast.
You will need:
- 1 lb pearl onions, peeled, fresh or frozen
- 2-3 Tbsp canola oil or light olive oil
- 500-750 ml balsamic vinegar depending on how much sauce you want (Trader Joe's offers good inexpensive balsamic of Modena. I prefer the one in square bottles)
- A pinch of salt and black pepper
- Chopped fresh rosemary, to taste (optional)
- A pinch or two of sugar (optional), see * below
If using fresh pearl onions, you’ll have to peel them first (frozen ones are usually sold peeled). Don’t get scared – no rocket science here. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the onions in it for about 15 seconds. Scoop out with a sieve and transfer to a bowl of ice cold water and let them sit there for a minute. Now, peeling will be no more difficult than shelling a hard-boiled egg. Peel all the onions and dry them between paper towels.
Heat oil in a pan wide enough to accommodate the onions in one layer.
Add the onions and cook, tossing the pan occasionally, until they become golden brown all over. Carefully pour in balsamic vinegar and simmer on the medium-high heat until they get cooked through and vinegar has reduced to a thick sauce. Season with salt, black pepper and fresh rosemary. Remove from the heat.
Let the onions cool down to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and put in the refrigerator. Let them sit there for several house until they chill completely. During this time the sauce will thicken even more and the strong scent and flavor of vinegar will mellow down. Serve the onions cold or bring them to room temperature before serving, if you want.
You can store the onions in fridge for several weeks (if they are lucky to last that long).
* I don’t usually add sugar to the pearl onions: enough comes from natural caramelization during browning and the balsamic vinegar I use (in small square bottles from TJ’s) is quite sweet, especially when reduced. But if you think that your balsamic is on a tart side, go ahead and add some sugar. You can add it either during browning or at the very end, when the sauce is completely reduced.
If using frozen onions, put them in a colander inserted into a larger bowl and leave on a counter until completely thawed. Or, to save some time, you can cover them with warm water. When thawed, briefly rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Pour oil in a wide pan, arrange the onions in one layer on top and put on a medium high heat. Cover the pan with a screen to prevent oil from splattering. Don’t put thawed onions in hot oil! Even if you pat them dry thoroughly, they will still contain enough moisture to start oil fireworks.
Cook until all the liquid has evaporated and onions started to turn golden brown. Remove the screen and let the onions brown all over, while stirring often. After this, the process is exactly the same as for fresh pearl onions.
You may use even more balsamic vinegar than given in the recipe. In that case you’ll have even more tasty sauce. However, more vinegar means longer cooking time, which may result in overcooking the onions. If using more than 500 ml, you may want to reduced part of it in a separate pot to cut on the cooking later and later mix it in to the onions.
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