Tuscan Onion Confit

By blum099

Ingredients

• 1/4 1/4
• cup pine nuts
• 12 12
• ounces small cipollini onions or one 10-ounce bag of frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 3 3
• tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 1/3
• cup medium sherry
• 2 2
• tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 2
• tablespoons sugar
• 1 1
• cup raisins
• Salt

Details

Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Using a small frying pan, lightly toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan back and forth to keep them from scorching. Set aside. Peel the onions -- either by blanching them first in boiling, salted water for about 30 seconds and then using a sharp paring knife to strip away the skins, or by simply going at the raw onions with the aforementioned paring knife. (Personally, I find blanching a waste of time here and prefer to just have at it.) Put the olive oil in large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook gently (without browning) for about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until mostly reduced. Add 3/4 cup water, vinegar, sugar, raisins, pine nuts and a pinch of salt. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over the lowest heat possible for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so. You may need to add more water from time to time if the mixture gets too thick and gooey or starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. It is finished when everything has caramelized well, and the flavors have blended together (you can take it as far as you’d like—I for one prefer a deep amber color). Cool and serve at room temperature. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.