Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Most Delicious Onion



For as long as I can remember, I have always hated onions. I shouldn't say hate, rather strongly dislike--hate is such an ugly word. The truth of the matter is that the onion and I have a colored past. As much as I rely on them for cooking, I can almost never bring myself to eat one. That is until I met the shallot. Maybe it's their flavor, perhaps it's the slightly snooty name, whatever it is I just can't get enough of this little onion. Its sweet, mild flavor adapts to a variety of dishes and I especially love them caramelized atop a bed of sauteed zucchini with lots of freshly cracked pepper.

Sauteed Zucchini with Caramelized Shallots

2 tbsp Olive Oil

3 Zucchini Squash, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tbsp Fresh Thyme, minced

1 tsp of salt, divided

1 tsp Freshly Cracked Pepper, divided

Heat olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Heat until fragrant. Add the zucchini and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Saute the zucchini until soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Serves 3.


Caramelized Shallots

2 tbsp olive oil

4 shallots, thinly sliced

1 tsp granulated sugar

In a 10 inch skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add the shallots and cook until browned around the edges. This will take 5-10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, sprinkle the shallots with sugar and stir. Cook the shallots for an additional 30 minutes until completely browned. Remove from heat. Serve atop a bed of sauteed zucchini.

4 comments:

  1. YUM! that zucchini looks GREAT!?!?

    i am going to try that this weekend!

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  2. Hey Jillian! Yes, that is the magic of food photography! It is a fantastic dish and makes for great leftovers! I hope you enjoy it! take care!

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  3. I love it: "..maybe its their snooty name..."! Anyway, I'm like you and don't like to actually eat onions though I do appreciate their flavor (most of the time). I'll have to try the snooty-shallot thing and see if it makes a difference. :)

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  4. Hey Rya! I think that if you're like me, you'll find shallots much more appealing! Let me know how it goes!xx

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