Caramelized onions

Have I posted this before?  If so, I apologize for the repeat.  But, we just had friends over for dinner and enjoyed one of my current favorite flavor combinations, and I felt inspired to post.

Aleks grilled beef steaks, I caramelized onions, and then we pulled some gorgonzola cheese out of the cheese drawer to add to the mix.  Amazing!  4 of us adults ate 6 onions worth of caramelized onions!  Slathering onions and bleu cheese or gorgonzola on top of burgers is another favorite of mine.

The trick is to get well-cooked onions, without adding too much oil and without over-browning them.  I've found that the secret is salt. The salt pulls the liquid out of the onions as they cook, and the liquid keep the onions from burning, without the need for oil.

Thinly slice more onions than you think you could possibly need.  1) These are so good that even people who don't like onions heap them on their plate, so you always eat more than you think you will, and 2) The volume will decrease substantially as you cook them.  Put a bit of olive oil or butter, just enough to tide you over until the salt does it's trick, in the bottom of your pan, add the onions, and turn on the heat to medium/medium-high.  Sprinkle in some salt, not enough to make it taste salty, but enough to act on the onions, maybe 1/2 t. per 3 onions, but I really just sort of sprinkle it on, so that's just a guess.  Turn the onions as they heat to mix in the salt and keep everything from browning.  When the onions start to cook and release their liquid, turn the heat down to medium-low/low. Cover with a lid.  Turn the onions every once in a while, and continue cooking until they are translucent and soft, and a big delicious mess, about 15-30 min.  If the onions are too soupy and not brown enough, remove the lid and turn up the heat a bit.  As the liquid evaporates off, scrape the bottom of the pan and turn the onions every few minutes so that they brown without burning for another 5 min or so.  Enjoy at will!

I think onions cooked this way count as one of those dishes that is cheap, oh so good, and good for you, if you keep the oil to a minimum and take advantage of the salt.

-Maggie