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Caramelized Onions

I discovered the magic of caramelized onions making French onion soup with my mom, long before I became a cook. Over several hours, I would watch as pounds and pounds of sharp onions cooked down to almost nothing and then those soft, concentrated onions would become the base of one of the most flavorful broths I’d ever tasted. Years later, when I cooked at Vetri, huge pots of onions would slowly caramelize all day every day, filling the kitchen with their concentrated sweet-savory fragrance. And today that same scent fills my kitchen at Zahav.

Though most recipes in this book call for just a little caramelized onion, you might as well make a big batch. They can be minced and stirred into soups, are perfect folded into tehina and served with chicken livers (see recipe), and can be wonderful added to feta as a filling for borekas (see recipe). I love a bit of caramelized onion smeared on a just-baked laffa with plenty of labneh and za’atar. In fact, consider doubling this batch.

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 large onions, halved and sliced
•   Kosher salt

Warm the oil over low heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and a couple pinches of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring periodically, until the onions are completely brown and almost spreadably soft, about 3 hours. Caramelized onions freeze well and will keep for a few months. Makes about 1½ cups.