From a dollop on hors d’oeuvr cheeses to a smattering on any type of burger, red onion confit adds a touch of sophistication and flexes to many needs.
Red onion confit is not to be confused with simple caramelized onions. Here the cooking is stopped before caramelization occurs, and butter, plus a touch of vinegar and sugar is added to soften and brighten the flavor. This recipe is based on and adapted from a Laura Calder recipe.
Arliano Update (Aggiornamento Arliano):
One of my favorite things about living in the lush countryside is the variety of birds and their songs. It’s a true ornithologist’s paradise. That said, two events have taken place over the past three weeks that have transformed our paradise into a bit of a hellscape. We had no late frost this spring and an abundance of cherry blossoms. This should have meant a bumper crop of cherries this year. But no. Just as the cherries started turning pinky-red and my daydreams turned to cherry pies, cherry clafoutis, and other delicacies, on a daily basis, we continue to find dozens of cherry pits and lots of bird poop on our balcony, stairs, car… you name it. They came, they feasted, they pooped. And now we have no sweet cherries left to speak of, albeit maybe a handful higher up than we dare to go on our ladder. We have one sour cherry tree, which they haven’t touched, so maybe they’ll survive unscathed.
The second bird tale is a bit Hitchcock in nature. A chattering of starlings, a flock of seagulls, a murder of crows. They are aptly named. One morning I awoke to screeches and banging. Two hooded crows were fighting each other gladiator style to the point of drawing blood. Blood and bird poop all over our windows. We asked our friend, ornithologist, and veterinarian what this could mean. All signs pointed to territorial protection and momentary confusion about their reflections in our formerly clean windows. He said, “They’re really smart and they will figure it out.” Mm hmm… right. Well, we have a special case of dumb crows because they haven’t figured it out after a few weeks. It is a daily occurrence starting at 6:00 a.m., and they have now ripped holes in some of our brand-new window screens. We’ve tried numerous online suggested remedies without much luck. The nursery rhyme “Twenty-four blackbirds baked in a pie” comes to mind if I could just catch them. At least the rainstorms have stopped, and our garden is growing nicely. Beans are climbing, zucchini plants doubling, and tomatoes are doing well with their calcium supplements. This year I’m giving cardoons a try. More on those in a future post if they grow well.
___________________________
Did you enjoy reading or making the recipe from this post? If so, please consider giving it a “like” or a comment. It would be nice to know you are out there and that my posts connect with you.
Red Onion Confit
Ingredients
- 3 red onions (about 1 pound, or 16 ounces)
- 4 tablespoons butter (56 grams), divided
- 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt (not iodized table salt), more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 – 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (1 teaspoon if you just want to set the red onion color, or 2 teaspoons if you want to taste a slight vinegar tang)
- 1 teaspoon of regular granulated sugar, more to taste
Directions
- Slice the onions very thinly (use a mandolin if you have one)
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over low heat, then add the onions, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, about 20 minutes. Do not let them brown
- Add the vinegar and reduce until the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir until it fully melts and is incorporated into the onions
- TASTE: Onions can range from sweet to tart, so taste for seasonings at this point. You may want to mix in a little more salt or sugar. Let the onions cool in the pan until they are room temperature. If you don’t use them right away, they may be placed in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Because of the butter, you will need to bring this to room temperature and stir before using
Greg Nelson Cooks 
My grandpa’s favorite, where the cardoons.
To the birds, it does sound very Hitchcockian!
I look forward to seeing all the wonderful recipes you post, often times they are very familiar. My grandma was a traditional, Italian cook, and the recipes make me homesick for her food.🙂❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your comment! I love recipes with stories and history. I have a number of Polish dishes that I make from my grandmother on my mother’s side, and Finnish things from my father’s side. It’s tricky to get the bitterness out of cardoons so I’d be curious to hear how your grandmother prepared them. In the meantime, the crows continue to taunt us. Ugh!
LikeLike
Unfortunately, I didn’t pay much attention to my grandmothers cooking, just enjoyed her food. When I did start to ask her about recipes, I didn’t include questioning about the cardoons.
Let me know if you have success.
LikeLiked by 1 person