Caramelized Onions

The highlight of this dish was the caramelized onion. I think I've finally settled on what my favourite caramelized onions are. How to get them sweet and savoury, in a dark, rich gravy that really sets meaty dishes off. It's a simple recipe that extracts the natural sweetness of onions to make a dynamic and delicious topping. As for the extra stuff in the picture, I might add them to the recipe, because they were excellent.

Ingredients

4 Large Brown Onions, peeled and finely sliced

1 Bulb of Garlic, peeled and finely minced

1 Cup of Beef Stock

2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano

1 Sprig of Fresh Rosemary and a small bunch of Thyme, tied together with string

1 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar

Water

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Method

Pour a generous lug of olive oil into a cast iron or non-stick frying pan, enough to coat the bottom well. Turn to a medium heat and add the onions, garlic, and rosemary/thyme bundle. Saute the onions and garlic until soft and starting to brown. Keep them moving so the don't burn, and you get an even browning.

Once soft, pour in the beef stock and oregano. Simmer the onions until they become sticky. Keep cooking until they're a thick, sticky consistency. Add a cup of water to the onions, and simmer them back down to a stickiness again. Each time they're sticky, it's an opportunity to deepen the brown colour, and intensify the flavour.

Cycle through this process for as long as you've got patience for - I did this 7 times, and they got a really sweet deep flavour to them. However long you go for, on the last round, once they become sticky, salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the red wine vinegar for a fresh tang.

This recipe is adaptable, play with it! Maybe add some mushrooms, or switch up the onions, change the stock, whatever works, depending perhaps on the meat.

I'll add the recipe for the hash cake later. In the meantime,

Enjoy!