Red onion fritters
- Easy
- 30 min
A side dish that’s simple but that makes a big impact and is capable of bringing out the taste of the dish it’s accompanying: sweet and sour baby onions! A great classic of Italian culinary tradition, ideal for serving warm or at room temperature, perhaps as an appetizer along with some mature or semi-mature cheeses. The pungent note from the vinegar is softened by the sweetness of the sugar, while the addition of butter makes the glaze particularly silky smooth. The result is a dish with a deliciously balanced flavor, which will become even better if you try it the following day. Think onions aren’t “romantic” enough to have earned a place on the table? Well, the celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda even wrote an ode to this vegetable, where he defines it as “destined to shine”... even in your dishes!
To make the sweet and sour baby onions, pour the raw sugar 1 and water 2 into a pot. Melt the sugar over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, then add the butter 3.
Wash 4 the onions and season with salt 5 and pepper. Once the butter has melted, add them to the pot. Cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat, stirring often to cover them evenly in the glaze 6.
Now add the vinegar 7. Let the strong smell of the vinegar evaporate without letting the liquid dry up 8, then add the thyme 9.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally 10; if it goes dry or starts to take on too much color, you can add a little water. After this cooking time is up, check whether the onions are tender 11; if you’d like a more buttery consistency, you can cook them for another 10 minutes. To make the glaze thicker, you can add a knob of cold butter at the end of the cooking time. Your sweet and sour baby onions are ready to go 12!