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Simple Joyful Food

small ideas that add joy to life

side dish

Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic.

April 7, 2015 2 Comments

Content sponsored by #denigris1889

Something was off.

I made this dish and it didn’t work.  Dennis took a bite and gave me that look that spoke volumes. It was a kind look yet one that showed sensory discomfort after that first bite.

Something was off.

Two weeks ago I browsed my cookbooks and Pinterest for inspiration.  I was determined to make a pan of simple roasted cipollini onions with balsamic and sugar.

What could go wrong?

A lot.

The balance was off and I couldn’t figure it out. It looked gorgeous but the taste wasn’t quite right.

#denigris1889 Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic - in pan (c)nwafoodie AD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor

Fast-forward a week.

I planned a half-day of vacation to attend a vinegar 101 school here in Bentonville that was hosted by two of the De Nigris family members. We are talking generations of grape growers that produce some of the finest vinegar in the world.

I was excited to learn all about their complete line of De Nigris balsamic vinegar that spanned the classification spectrum of a white eagle, bronze eagle, silver eagle, gold eagle, platinum eagle, and aged.

“Why would we need so many different types of balsamic?”

#denigris1889 Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic - vinegar tasting (c)nwafoodie AD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor

It was a question begging to be answered.

In a nutshell, good quality balsamic is measured by its concentration of grape must and whether or not it is intended for cold foods, hot foods, or gourmet foods.

It is all about how the balsamic reacts with the temperature of the foods.

Bingo!

I figured out what was wrong with my cipollini’s! I used the De Nigris white eagle balsamic that was intended for cold foods. I messed with nature.

So, out came the sauté pan again, only this time reached for the De Nigris gold eagle balsamic, which is perfect for hot foods. Even though I no longer had the cipollini onions, my always-available sweet Vidalia onions and shallots were ready for the test.

Ladies and Gents, the mystery is solved!

The onions and shallots all but applauded and thanked me for taking care of them properly. The taste was astounding and all I changed was the balsamic intensity!

Consider me now educated.

Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic

Ingredients

1 medium size sweet Vidalia onion

4 medium size shallots

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup De Nigris gold eagle balsamic vinegar

1 minced garlic clove

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1.

Peel onion and shallot skins and slice in half.  Place in cold water and let sit for 15 minutes. This will even out the “bite” of the onions.

2.

Melt butter on high heat and then lower to medium heat.

3.

Add sugar and stir until melted.

4.

Add vinegar and garlic and simmer for 2 minutes.

5.

Add drained onions.

6.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.

7.

Flip over onions and shallots and spoon juices over them until saturated.

8.

Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

9.

Remove lid and cook for 5 minutes or until juices reduce to desired level.

10.

Remove from heat and serve as a side accompaniment to meat or poultry. It is also an excellent addition to cubed steak if you allow the juices to cook down with the meat.

#denigris1889 Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic - angled shot (c)nwafoodie AD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor
#denigris1889 Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic - gold eagle (c)nwafoodie AD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor

I am curious to know if you knew about the different grades of balsamic that work best with cold and hot dishes. Did you?

Oh, I can’t wait to tell you about the aged vinegar that we tasted on ice cream.

Mind.

Blown.

Eat well, my friends.

Lyndi

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Recipe Rating




  1. Heidi says

    April 7, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    I never knew that about balsamic vinegars, either. But this looks great! My husband does balsamic onions on our burgers sometimes, and it is fantastic.

    Reply
  2. Jeanetta Darley says

    April 7, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    You had me at onions and balsamic.

    Reply

My name is Lyndi Fultz, and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, which span Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri.

I like to share small ideas for living simply and eating happily.

You will find that I talk a lot about food because we all need to eat. Why not add little bits of food joy where possible?

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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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