Onions Agrodolce Recipes

GLAZED ONIONS AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the bottom of a medium, heavy-bottomed baking dish with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and fennel fronds. Season with salt.
• Cut the onions in quarters lengthwise. Trim the root ends of the onions, still leaving them intact. Lay the onions cut side down in the baking dish in concentric circles, fitting them closely together. Nestle a fresh bay leaf between every few onion halves and top with the sage. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt.
• Cover the pan with heavy-duty, restaurant-grade plastic wrap, which won't melt in the oven, and then aluminum foil. (Conventional plastic wrap will melt in the oven, so if you do not have restaurant-grade plastic wrap, skip it.) Put the onions in the oven until they're softened, about 40 minutes.
• To check for doneness, remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully lift up one segment of the foil and plastic if you're using it, taking care not to burn yourself from the steam that arises from the pan; use a small sharp knife to check to see if the onions are tender. Otherwise, return the foil and plastic and return the onions to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until they're tender.

BALSAMIC GLAZED CIPOLLINI ONIONS (CIPOLLINI AGRODOLCE)

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Drop in the onions and boil 2 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
• Use a small, sharp knife to slice off the top of the onions, then slip off the skins. Trim any hairy roots, but leave the stem end intact so that the onions don't separate. If the onions are larger than 1 1/2-inches diameter, slice into halves or quarters.
• Heat the butter and oil in a medium (8-10-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming and begins to smell nutty, add the onions to the pan. Cook 5 minutes, or until the onions are browned, stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle the onions with the sugar and salt. Pour the water and vinegar over them (the pan will sputter). Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan. Cook 5 minutes.
• Uncover the pan and continue cooking until the liquid in the pan looks syrupy and has large bubbles, another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with the thyme and serve.

PORK AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Brush a baking dish with olive oil.
• Whisk tomato paste, vinegar, honey, mashed anchovy, green onions, garlic, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper together in a large bowl to make the agrodolce.
• Cut pork shoulder into roughly 3-inch pieces. Add to the bowl of agrodolce and mix by hand until coated. Transfer pork and sauce to the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven, flipping pieces over halfway through, until pork is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add a splash of water if pork appears too dry. Skim off fat as desired.

ONIONS AGRODOLCE (SWEET AND SOUR ONIONS)

Steps:

• Put the onions in a heavy saucepan with the olive oil over moderately-high heat.
• As soon as the onions start to brown, add the port, vinegar, brown sugar raisins and salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
• Simmer slowly until the onions are quite soft and the sauce has turned to a thick syrup.
• Serve at room temperature with roast or grilled meats.

CIPOLLINE IN AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a pan large enough to hold the onions.
• Cook the onions in the butter for a few minutes while stirring.
• Sprinkle on the sugar, the vinegar and enough water to barely cover the onions and bring to a boil.
• Simmer until the liquid is completely gone, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes, watching carefully to avoid scorching. (The onions will become glazed & caramelized).
• Sprinkle with lemon juice & serve.

ONIONS AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Place the olive oil in a heavy based pan over a low heat; allow to warm.
• Place the onions in the pan and cook, shaking the pan until the onions are browned on all sides.
• Add the port and vinegar and bring to the boil.
• As soon as boiling point is reached, stir in the brown sugar, raisins, salt and cayenne to taste.
• Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the onions are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup. Serve the onions with the syrup spooned over.

CIPOLLINI IN AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add onions; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer onions until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain; let cool. Peel onions.
• Heat oil with bay leaf in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add thyme. Add half of onions; cook, stirring, until deep golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining onions. Add first batch to pan.
• Stir together vinegar, wine, sugar, and salt; add to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and glazes onions, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with pepper.

LAMB SCALLOPINI WITH PEPPER AND ONION AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil for agrodolce in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion with a pinch of salt in the hot oil until they start to soften up and take on some color, 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle in more olive oil if the onions look dry. Add chile peppers and garlic; cook until peppers just start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add dried mint and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring, for exactly 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the lamb into four equal 4-ounce pieces and pound between plastic wrap to about 1/8-inch thick medallions. Trim any easy-to-cut silver skin off if you like. Transfer to a Silpat®-lined baking sheet and season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Dust both sides of the meat generously with flour using a sifter and let sit for at least 10 minutes before frying.
• While lamb rests, stir salt and pepper to taste, cayenne, remaining 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, rosemary, and parsley into the agrodolce mixture. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, oil, and/or vinegar as you see fit. Reserve until needed; keep in fridge if making ahead, but let come to room temperature before serving.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, but not quite smoking. Pan-fry the lamb medallions until browned, about 2 minutes per side. They are very thin, so be careful not to overcook. Serve immediately topped with the agrodolce.

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH CIPOLLINI ONIONS AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Place onions, butter, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper in single layer in a large straight-sided saute pan; add 1 inch of water. Simmer over medium heat, covered, 1 hour; the onions should be soft. Uncover; add vinegar. Cook, turning occasionally, until liquid evaporates and onions caramelize, about 1 hour. Stir in thyme leaves. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat meat with remaining salt and pepper. Place saute pan with ovenproof handle over high heat. Add olive oil; heat until almost smoking. Place beef in pan; sear until well browned on all sides. Transfer to oven; roast 30 to 40 minutes, or until internal temperature is 130 degrees for medium rare. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Beef may be served warm or at room temperature. Slice just before serving. Place on platter with reserved cipollini onions; garnish with thyme sprigs.