It may seem a little odd to add something as simple as caramelized onions to a cookbook, but it turns out I was making a couple simple mistakes that was preventing me from getting a nice brown sugary onion like you get in a steakhouse. So I did a little research and experimentation and below are my secrets. Plus I used the caramelized onion recipe somewhere else in the book so I kinda had to add it. Note: I do not add sugar to my onions. Onions have tons of natural sugar and this process will really bring that out.
Ingredients
1 onion, evenly sliced
Water, Wine or Stock
1 T EVOO
Salt, Pepper
Directions
The first key is to make sure the onions are all sliced to the same thickness. Sounds simple, but if they are uneven you will have some onions that are burnt and others barely cooked through. Bring a sauté pan to mid-high heat and add oil. Once the oil shimmers add onion. Toss the onion in the oil to coat them and add a pinch of salt (this is important as it will help bring out the moisture in the onions to cook off). Then wait. Don't touch. There is a tendency to want to stir the onions so they don't burn, but in essence that's what you want. You want that nice brown crust. Let them sit for about 5 - 8 min, then give them a flip. If the onions are sticking to the bottom add a little stock or wine (in a pinch use water) to deglaze. Keep cooking stiring every 5 min or so and the onions should be finished in 20 - 25 min.
