Best Caramelized Baby Onions Recipes

CHICKEN W/ CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS & HONEY (DJAJ BIL ASSAL)

Steps:

• To peel shallots or baby onions, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the root ends.
• Sautee the chopped onion until softened in the oil over a medium heat in a pan or casserole large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Stir in the saffron, ginger, cinnamon, then put in the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and turn to brown them lightly all over.
• Add about 1 cup of water and cook, covered, over a low heat, turning the pieces over, for about 15 min or until the chicken breasts are done. Lift out the breasts and put them to one side. Add the shallots or baby onions and continue to cook, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until the remaining chicken pieces are very tender. During the cooking, turn the pieces and stir the onions occasionally; add a little water, if necessary.
• Lift out the chicken pieces and set to one side. Stir the honey into the pan. Check the seasoning. You need quite a bit of pepper to mitigate the sweetness. Cook, uncovered, until all the water is evaporated and the onions are brown, caramelized, and so soft that you could crush them.(As they say in Morocco, "with your tongue".).
• Return the chicken pieces to the pan, spoon the onions on top of them, and heat through. A few minutes should be enough. Serve, if you wish, sprinkled either with blanched almonds fried in a drop of oil until they are lightly golden, or with toasted sesame seeds.

TOASTED FENNEL CRUSTED TUNA WITH RIOJA RED WINE SAUCE, CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• For the Rioja Red Wine Sauce: Place port, wine, sugar and honey in a medium stainless steel saucepan and cook over high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, let cool. Place reduced liquid in a blender and with the motor running, add oil until emulsified. Season with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• For the Pearl Onions: Place water, butter and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook until the butter and sugar is melted. Add onions and cook over high heat until the water has evaporated and the onions are cooked through and caramelized. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
• For the Tuna: Heat a small saute pan over high heat. Add the fennel seeds and toast for 1 to 2 minutes. Place the seeds in a coffee grinder and grind until coarsely chopped. Season the tuna with salt and pepper to taste on both sides. Dredge 1 side of each fillet in the fennel seeds. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Saute the tuna, fennel-side down until golden brown 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the fish over and continue cooking for 1 minute for rare doneness. Drizzle the fish with Rioja sauce and parsley. Serve with caramelized onions and braised fennel.
• For the Braised Fennel: Brown fennel in olive oil in medium pan. Deglaze pan with wine and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and braise until tender.

TAGINE OF LAMB WITH CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND PEARS

Steps:

• Cut the meat into 6 or 8 pieces, and put it into a wide pan with 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat; turn to brown the pieces all over. Add the chopped onion and barely cover with water. Stir in salt and pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron, and simmer, covered, over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours, turning the pieces over a few times.
• To peel the onions or shallots, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes and, when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the roots. Sauté them in a skillet in 2 tablespoons oil over a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan, until the onions have slightly colored. Then add them to the meat and cook for a further 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender and the baby onions are so soft that, as they say in Morocco, "you can crush them with your tongue." Toward the end of the cooking time, cook uncovered to reduce the sauce. There should be only a small amount of liquid remaining.
• Wash the pears. Quarter and core them but do not peel them. Sauté them in a large skillet in a mixture of butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat until their cut sides are slightly brown and caramelized. If they have not softened right through (that depends on their size and degree of ripeness), put them into the pan over the meat, skin side up, and continue to cook, covered, until they are very tender. It could be 15 minutes, but you must watch them as they can quickly fall apart.
• Serve the meat with the pears, arranged skin side up, on top.
• variations
• Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of clear honey when you put in the pears, and adjust the seasoning so that there is enough salt and plenty of pepper to mitigate the sweetness.
• Add 1/2 cup blanched almonds to the meat at the start. They will soften during the cooking.
• Instead of pears, sharp green apples, such as Granny Smiths, may be used.
• Use veal instead of lamb.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND HONEY

Steps:

• To peel the shallots or baby onions, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the root ends.
• Sauté the chopped onion until softened in the oil over a medium heat in a pan or casserole large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Stir in the saffron, ginger, and cinnamon, then put in the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and turn to brown them lightly all over.
• Add about 1 cup water and cook, covered, over a low heat, turning the pieces over, for 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are done. Lift out the breasts and put them to one side. Add the shallots or baby onions and continue to cook, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until the remaining chicken pieces are very tender. During the cooking, turn the chicken pieces and stir the onions occasionally; add a little water, if necessary.
• Lift out the chicken pieces and set to one side. Stir the honey into the pan. Check the seasoning. You need quite a bit of pepper to mitigate the sweetness. Cook, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated, and the onions are brown, caramelized, and so soft that you could crush them, as they say in Morocco, "with your tongue."
• Return the chicken pieces to the pan, spoon the onions on top of them, and heat through. A few minutes should be enough. Serve, if you wish, sprinkled either with blanched almonds fried in a drop of oil until they are lightly golden, or with toasted sesame seeds.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND QUINCES

Steps:

• Start with the quinces, as they take a long time to cook. Wash and scrub 2 quinces, then boil them whole for about 1 hour, or until they feel soft. The time varies greatly depending on their size and degree of ripeness, so watch them and don't let them fall apart. Drain them, and when the chicken is nearly ready, cut them into quarters and cut away the cores, but do not peel them. Then cut each quarter in half so you end up with fat slices.
• Fry the slices in shallow sunflower or vegetable oil until they are brown on the cut sides. This gives them a delicious caramelized taste. Lift them out and drain on paper towels. Serve the chicken surrounded by the quince slices.

TAGINE OF LAMB WITH CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND QUINCES

Steps:

• Follow the recipe for Tagine of Lamb with Caramelized Baby Onions and Pears (page 106) but instead of the pears, use 3 quinces, weighing about 2 pounds. Quinces are now available for several months, starting in the fall, as they are imported from various countries, which have different seasons.
• Wash and scrub the quinces. Boil them whole for about 1 hour, or until they feel soft. The time varies greatly depending on their size and degree of ripeness, so watch them and do not let them fall apart. Drain them and, when cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters, then cut away the cores but do not peel them.
• In a large skillet, sauté the quarters in a little sunflower oil until the cut sides are brown. This gives them a delicious caramelized flavor. Alternatively, for a honeyed version, sauté the quinces in a mixture of 1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted with 1 tablespoon sunflower oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons clear honey. You may also add 3/4 cup walnut halves, which gives a wonderful contrast of texture.
• Put the quinces-caramelized or honeyed-in the pan with the meat, skin side down, and cook until they are soft but, again, watch them so that they do not fall apart. If there is not enough room, lift out the meat and put in the fruits, returning the meat to heat through before serving. Serve hot, with the quinces, skin side up, on top of the meat.

CARAMELIZED PARSNIPS AND BABY ONIONS

Steps:

• Squeeze grated ginger tightly in one hand over parsnips so all the juice runs out. Discard the remaining fibrous ginger.
• Mix all ingredients together and place in a shallow tin.
• Cook uncovered at 150C/300F for 35-45 minutes, turn occasionally.
• Increase temperature to 200C/400F and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.

CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS

Steps:

• 1. Place onions in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water just until cool enough to handle. Cut root ends from onions, holding onions by the tops, gently squeeze onions from skins through cut ends. 2. Combine peeled onions and 1/2 c. water in a large skillet. Bring to a boil over med high heat; cook 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium, add remaining 1/4 c. water, sugar, and remaining ingredients. Cook 7 mins or until onions are tender and glazed, stirring often.