Crockpot Caramelized Onions

OK…I am a big fan of these….on chicken, on sandwiches w/ melty brie, in salads, French onion soup, onion dip…etc.  The problem always is that they are a HUGE pain to make. You have to cook the onions really slow to caramelize them and it takes forever. If you forget to stir JUST ONCE you will burn them and the whole thing is ruined. Plus, I don’t like the long and lingering smell that it leaves.

I found a recipe for these in a crock pot cookbook. I am a fan of the crock pot and I use it all the time, but I am skeptical of recipes for things like brownies in the crock pot or other “non crock pot” type foods.   This one works. Plus….you can plug your crock pot in outside and avoid the smell and heat (and frankly, some months even a crock pot is too much heat for the kitchen). It is almost impossible to over cook these and the left over broth is yummy in pasta and soups…..

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Cooking Time: 12 to 14 hours on LOW
Slow Cooker Size: 4 quart

3 pounds Vidalia or other sweet onions (4 to 5 onions, 3 to 4 inches in diameter), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick to 1/4-inch-thick slices
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (see Note)

Place the onions and butter in the insert of the slow cooker, cover, and cook on LOW for 12 to 14 hours, until the onions are deep brown and very soft. It’s almost impossible to overcook these; make sure to let the onions cook until they are mahogany colored.

Notes: While this recipe calls for Vidalia onions, you can use other sweet onions such as Maui, Walla Walla, or Texas 1015s. If you have a large slow cooker, you can double the onions. It is not necessary to increase the amount of butter.

Don’t blanch at the amount of butter called for here. When you drain and chill the onions, the onion-flavored butter will congeal on the surface of the cooking liquid. Skim it and use it when you sauté other vegetables, over pasta, or in risotto.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
Two websites you might want to check out:  This is a place that will tell you all you ever (or never) wanted to know about onions.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/produce/onion.html

This one is called Ode to Onions. It has lots of good onion recipies. If you love onions (and my family does) you should check this one out.  http://www.geocities.com/napavalley/2267/onion.html