Caramelizing Onions

There's a big difference between a browned onion and one that is caramelized. Some recipes will tell you to "caramelize the onion over medium (or medium high) heat for 10-15 minutes." If you follow those directions, you are not caramelizing the onion. You are browning it. Brown onions are very good indeed, but they are not awe inspiring or caramelized.

It takes a leisurely caramelizing process to draw the internal sugars out to the surface of the onion. When these natural sugars spend extended time in contact with oil over moderately low heat the onion is coated in a to die for savory-sweet ooey-gooeyness. Caramelizing onions is really just browning sugar, only instead of a cup of granulated sugar, you use onions.

Awe Inspiring Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

3 Onions (your favorite kind: yellow, white, red, or sweet)
2 T olive oil*
Two or three twists of freshly ground sea salt**

Time to cook:

45-60 minutes or until they are your favorite deep shade of brown.

Temperature:

Medium low to medium. It depends on how hot your burners run. You do not want the oil to smoke, so err on the low temp side. 

Here's what you do:

Slice stem and roots from the onions and peel. Cut in half from stem to root..Cut long thin slices also from stem to root. No need to over fuss the width of the slices. As you can see in my picture, mine were a variety of widths. Allow the poor dears to rest and recover from their pain while you get the rest of the stuff in order.

Lightly Caramelized Onions
You can stop here or go on until they get really dark brown.

Heat the pan over medium heat. When hot add the oil - the measured amount is approximate as it all depends on your pan size and how many onions you are doing. When oil gets hot it thins a bit and spreads easily over the pan. Add enough oil so the bottom of the pan is coated.

When the oil starts shimmering watch it for a few seconds and marvel at how pretty it is. Then add the onions. Stir to coat with oil. Stir after five minutes. After 10 minutes total cooking time, sprinkle with a little salt - coarse sea salt is awesome here. Then reduce the heat to medium low.

See, they shrink! That used to be two huge onions!

Continue to stir the onions about every 5 minutes or so. Don't hang by the stove. 10 minutes is not too long between stirs. You need the onions to have contact with the pan for the caramelizing to happen. So, go do something. Write in your blog or read a book so you truly do forget about the onions and only stir them every now and then. After about 40 minutes you might need to hang by the stove a bit and stir more often so they don't burn. The deeper brown they are the tastier they will become.

Did I mention that at this point it is absolutely delicious... I mean necessary, for culinary awareness purposes only of course, to taste a slice every now and then. Mindfully monitoring the perfection of the onions is a critical element of the caramelizing process. And, it's why I always cook up plenty of extra.

Notes:

Use caramelized onions on just about anything!

*On oil: some people prefer to use just butter or half butter and half olive oil. It's a total "to taste" thing. Experiment and choose your fave! they have similar, but not exactly the same smoke points and often mix well together. They do so here because the temperature of cookery is low enough that the smoking point does not enter in. Do not bother please using "light" olive oil. Either the regular or extra virgin only.

**On salt:  if you skip salt because you are on a low salt diet, the entire process is at peril! I don't know why this is. I just know that from experience, they caramelize better when give a few twists to the grinder. No doubt this is some of that chemistry stuff.

On freezing: Make plenty - they freeze! Yes, you can freeze dollops of caramelized onions and they will keep nicely for a couple months. (parchment paper, foil sprayed with non-stick spray, in individual muffin cups, or however you want to handle the freezing of portions). They will thaw quickly on medium low heat in a skillet or in the microwave.

On the Refrigerator: If you store them in the refrigerator instead, don't keep them more than a couple days as they lose their power over your taste buds completely.

Enjoy mindfully while they are cooking and afterwards at dinner.

Pasta with Bacon, Green Beans, and Caramelized Mushrooms

Right now we are at the height of our tomato season. I really need a tomato break. Pasta served with a simple butter, cheese, and pasta water sauce really fit the bill today. Excellent served as a generous side dish with grilled eggplant slices as the star of the meal... or perhaps a side of sliced tomatoes from your garden.

Pasta with Bacon, Green Beans, and Caramelized Mushrooms and Onions
Nutrition facts

What to assemble:

1 pound whole wheat gemelli pasta (any twisty pasta will do)
8 oz. thick cut Applewood Smoked Bacon*, cut into chunks with the bulk of excess fat removed - get the leanest bacon you can find)
1/2 onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (use your favorite mushroom)
4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1 pound green beans, steamed to crisp tender
1/4 t fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes (I use more)
4 T butter
2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (divided use)

How to proceed:

Measure and prep all the ingredients. Line them up as listed in the directions like nice little soldiers awaiting orders. Mindful preparation is critical for a dish like this as many of the steps overlap.

How to continue:

This part is really is ongoing during the entire cookery stage because the sauce is prepared simultaneously with the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until it is firm to tooth (al dente). Reserve three cups of the cookery liquid. Then drain and return the pasta to the pot. You can use salt in your pasta water, but it's really only necessary if you are a salter of foods. The rest of us will have plenty of salt from the bacon and cheese.

Steam or nuke the green beans to crisp tender and let them sit until they are called for. Green beans are very patient things. I do this step while the bacon is cooking.

Start the bacon well before starting the water for the pasta. Bacon drippings stand in for the usual oil or butter in the caramelizing process. Time it so you have time for the onions and mushrooms to cook for about 30 minutes. This is a rare instance where I will caramelize at a higher heat so the caramelizing process is accelerated. Bacon drippings can take the heat.

About halfway through the onion and mushroom cookery, turn on the heat under the pasta water.

To cook the bacon, heat a large skillet over medium high - any skillet with tall sides is good. When it is hot, add the chunks of bacon. Stir. Remember, you are using medium high heat instead of medium, so don't walk away from the stove. Keep a damp towel handy in case the bacon spits. After about 10 minutes, add the onion and mushroom. Continue to stir every two - four minutes until the vegetables brown well - about 25-30 minutes. Put down that spoon. Yes you. The veggies need to stay in contact with the pan a few minutes at a time or they will never brown. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add the black and red pepper flakes and stir.

It is possible you will need to put this pan on hold (off heat or on very low heat) while watching for the water to boil for the pasta (yes, the watched pot will boil, I tested that). It's better for the bacon mix to be on hold rather than rushing to catch up with the water and ending up with inadequately browned onion and mushroom.

Pay attention to the boiling water - and add the pasta when necessary. Set the timer so you know how when to check the pasta. Stir.

When the pasta is merrily boiling away, return the bacon mixture to medium heat. Add the butter (if your butter was allowed to come to room temperature this part goes faster). Stir til it melts and bubbles.

With a large Pyrex style measuring cup, remove the pasta water to a handy bowl. Drain pasta into a colander. Return pasta to the big cookery pot. Dump the steamed green beans into the pot of cooked pasta.

Add about 1 1/2 cups of the reserved pasta water to the bacon mixture and simmer about five minutes. Don't worry, the pasta will stay hot.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the Parmigiano-Reggiano to the simmering bacon water. The butter is what turns the water into sauce - so don't skip it and do not use margarine (blech). The sauce will not be thick like tomato sauce, but it will thicken a bit.

Add the bacon sauce to the pot with the pasta and green beans. Stir to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings. Taste again and marvel at how good sauce can be when it is made with water. Add more of the reserved pasta water if it seems dry.

Serve with the reserved 1/2 cup cheese and more pepper (both black and red) at the table. A nice salad of fresh garden tomatoes and spinach rounds the meal off very well. Enjoy with your favorite friends and family members.

Note:

You could reduce (or increase) the bacon, but I do not believe the dish can stand as is without it. You'd have to make other adjustments in seasonings or proportions. If you want to eliminate the bacon, I'd suggest adding well sauteed strips of peppers - a variety of types from red to yellow to green would work well.

Very good reheated and served the next day.

Pasta Ala Laura

This fabulous recipe will be my Pasta of Choice on October 25th for World Pasta Day! I slightly modified it (just a few tweaks like removing the extra dashings of salt as my taste buds can't do much salt) from a Laura's Best Recipe. (do go visit Laura's website for her recipe on Tagliatelle with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Mushrooms, she's awesome and available for "Liking" on FB!).

Use the meatiest best bacon you can find, applewood smoked bacon is out of this world wonderful. Do not even consider using the typical fatty breakfast bacon, this pasta is all about incredibly fantastic bacon.

If you are unfamiliar with Parmigiana Reggiano it is a great pungent cheese, in the manner of blue cheese only without the blue color. If you prefer milder cheese rather than one that bites back, use regular Parmigiana, it will be great anyway. 

Use any wide egg pasta, I used Pappardelle. When measuring any ingredient, remember YOUR personal taste buds rule. Feel free to go up or down with the amount of any ingredient. I cannot imagine this recipe without the bacon, but if you are a Vegetarian, go ahead and omit it and double up on the mushrooms.

Pasta Ala Laura 

Ingredients with variations on a bacon theme:

3 T olive oil
1/4 lb Applewood smoked bacon (ok, this is for the calorie minded individual, I really used about 1/2 a pound...or so and boy was it awesome)

2 small onions

1 lb cremini or portobello mushrooms (even my anti-mushroomed son enjoyed these caramelized delights!)

1/2 t dried rosemary (more if you love rosemary, up to 1 t)
4 t garlic

1 lb wide pasta noodle such as tagliatelle or pappardelle
approximately 2 1/2 cups lightly salted water reserved from cooking pasta

4 T butter

1/2 C Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 C fresh parsley

1/2 t fresh cracked black pepper

Optional: when you add the black pepper, add some crushed red pepper flakes. Most excellent, especially if you are not adding any salt beyond what is in the water and bacon.

Prep:

Put the large tall sided skillet on the stove to which you add the olive oil. Fill a large pasta pot with cold water - never ever fill a pot with hot water as the sediments from your water heater are not delicious seasonings. Set out the Pappardelle.

Chop onion, slice of the excess fat from the bacon if needed and cut into 1 inch chunks, place both in a single bowl.

Rinse, dry, and slice the mushrooms and place in bowl with measured rosemary.

Mince the garlic and place in small bowl.

Cut four T butter and put on plate in the fridge.

Grate the Parmigiano Reggiano and place in bowl with the rinsed and chopped parsley, and fresh cracked black pepper.

Directions with extra notes of bacony goodness:

In a large skillet, heat 3 T of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add bacon and onions, cook about 15 minutes til the onions and bacon are a pretty brown but not fully caramelized - minimize the stirring to encourage browning. If you got the good meaty bacon you should not have to drain off fat. Otherwise, drain some, but not all of the cheap bacon fat (although if you are going to eat bacon don't get the cheap stuff). This recipe is not super low fat or vegetarian, but you can always pretend. Watch the pan for fat spittery. If it spits, you may need to lower the temperature.

Bring the large pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat while you set about finishing the veggies and make the sauce.

nicely browning

Add the mushrooms and rosemary to the bacon onion mixture and cook with minimal stirring until the mushrooms are caramelized. This part will take a while - at least 10-15 minutes. The time is shorter if you can keep your pan on medium high. When the mushrooms are caramelized, add the minced garlic and stir frequently but not ridiculously so for about a minute to release the aroma of the garlic. You stir more here so the garlic doesn't burn.

Season with pepper (salt if you salt stuff) and scrape the mushroom mix into a large serving bowl. Cover to keep warm.

 Don't wash the skillet, just set aside til it's time to make the sauce (near the end of the pasta cookery).

Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water til it is nicely al dente - about 8 - 9 minutes depending on your pasta. After about 4-6 minutes of cooking time, remove one and one half cups pasta water and dump it into the unwashed skillet. Reserve another cup of pasta water and set aside for later use if needed. 

Add cold butter pieces and simmer over medium high heat til the liquid reduces to a bit and takes on a sauce-like consistency (about 6-8 minutes). It doesn't look like much, but the buttery goodness coats the pappardelle just beautifully.

Drain the pasta and place it in the bowl with the mushroom mixture. Pour in the hot butter sauce and mix well. Add the Parmigiana Reggiano, cracked black pepper and parsley, toss lightly and serve with more cheese. If the mixture is too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.

Calorie Breakdown (assuming you did not do as I did and just start tossing in mountains of bacon).