Another big-batch, crock-pot related recipe folks. This comes under the heading of "long term prep" work, like cooking and freezing a batch of bone stock. It's not a meal, it's something you add TO a recipe (or a burger or a steak) to make it richer, tastier, more special.
Now, why caramelize onions? Well, for one thing, they taste AMAZING! They're sweet, soft, they add a mild onion flavor while helping to "darken" a sauce or stew. They're also pretty simple. Just a few ingredients and a WHOLE lotta patience. Plus, a little trick at the end that boosts flavor and makes them more special than what you'll get from just frying up a batch of onions to the "translucent" phase.
Note of Warning - you CAN burn caramelized onions in a crock pot. Which is why you have to be careful of how you prep, and how you cook, these silly little blighters. There's a moderate amount of stirring, at least for a slow-cooker recipe, when compared to other similar tasks. Yes, you'll lose a bit of heat from time to time that will need to be recovered. However, that has the plus of releasing a lot of moisture that you really don't want in your final product. So, don't treat this like some Ronco rotisserie and think you can "set it and forget it"...
Also, a few tips:
- Do NOT overload your crock pot! You should ideally keep the onions below the three-quarter point in the pot. This recipe is for a 4-quart cooker. Don't bother trying this with a 6-quart, the additional surface area actually seems to slow things down.
- Thin slices are the best bet. You can dice if you like, but frankly that takes a LOT longer. Try to be as consistent as possible in the size of the onion slices as well. A mandoline works best, but you can free-hand this without too many problems. Doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want huge chunks and "whaffar-theen" slices (to quote Mr. Creosote's waiter).
- SHARPEN YOUR KNIFE before you begin! Can't stress this enough. And I don't mean a sharpening steel, I mean actually sharpen with a 3-stage hand-held sharpener - coarse, fine, and then the ceramic super-fine. Makes the work go a LOT easier and is a LOT safer as well.
- Paper towels. You'll need them for the crying. Trust me on this.
So, let's get started...
Ingredients:
3.5 lbs. Sweet Yellow or Vidalia Onions
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 oz. Olive Oil (doesn't have to be EVOO, just a standard quality)
Recipe:
Cut off the tops of the onions, then halve down the root (skin still on). Put in a large plastic container (with a cover, you'll need it later) and place in the sink, running warm water over the onion halves. Peel under the water (cuts down on crying a bit), then drain. Rinse off the knife and cutting board.
Take back to work station, remove the root half with a shallow diagonal cut. Now, slice root to tip, thinly, and chuck the sliced onion into the large container. This will take some time, and it will hurt your eyes. Sorry, I have yet to find a way to avoid this other than a class-4 hazmat suit with independent air supply.
When all the onions are sliced. put the cover onto the plastic container, and shake the living daylights out of it to separate the slices into individual onion pieces. This also bruises the onion slightly and helps it release juices a bit more quickly. Remove cover, then sprinkle on the salt, sugar, and drizzle in the oil. Put the cover back on and shake again to combine, coat and further get rid of any frustrations you may be experiencing regarding life, your kids, the weather, etc.
Spray a 4-qt crock pot liberally with Pam. Turn on "high". Pour the onions into the crock pot, scraping the sides of the plastic container so you get as much of the oil/juices/etc. into the pot. Press down gently to even the "pile" and to make sure you've got good contact to the bottom. Cover. Wait one hour, and then switch the heat to LOW.
DO NOT TOUCH FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS!
No kidding, leave it be. It needs this initial time to get the heat through to the middle of the onion pile. Only at that point should you stir, preferably with a silicone spatula. Make sure you scrape the sides and "tuck in" the onions along the edges so they don't have a tendency to burn.
Give it another four hours. Stir again, and you should begin to see some, well, you can't call it browning yet, so let's refer to it as "tanning". Leave this overnight. Yes, I said overnight. This is not a fast process, for good reason.
When you wake up, uncover and stir, again "tucking in" the onions along the edge to prevent burning. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot as well, to ensure that nothing is sticking. At this point, the onions should be medium brown. Which is nice, but it's really not "caramelized" yet. You want this to be a rich, dark brown. Keep it low and slow, with the emphasis on slow. Yes, this process can take up to 24 hours - it's a large batch, after all.
When you've reached the color you want, turn off the crock pot and uncover. Let the onions cool at least an hour. Spoon, then pour, the onions and the juices into a strainer over a medium-sized non-stick saucepan. Press the onions to get as much of the juice as you can. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and, with the silicone spatula, stir and reduce until the juice is thick and sweet. You'll know it's done when you scrape the spatula along the bottom of the pan and the juice acts like a syrup, allowing you to see the bottom before it slowly fills in the gap. Remove from heat, return the drained onions to the saucepan, and stir thoroughly.
Separate into small plastic containers, about 4 ounces per container, or place in those new 1 pint vacuum sealer bags. This batch, which started with 3.5 lbs (56 oz.) of raw vidalia onions, ended with 20 oz. of caramelized onions. Freeze, then when thoroughly frozen place into vacuum bags and seal. These will stay "good" in the freezer for nearly a year.
But I doubt they'll last that long...
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