Caramelized Pearl or Cipollini Onions

This is the perfect side dish to your steaks and other meats.

Steaks are one of my favorite mains to serve, especially when there’s a long Yom Tov and a lot of meals–everyone appreciates something grilled fresh (even if it’s on a grill pan) as a change from those long braised meats. There’s more about this simple meal that I like to serve in this post (of course, adapt for Pesach).

But I also want those steaks to look beautiful on the platter when I’m serving them, especially when I’m serving minimal dishes at that meal.

In comes these onions. I make them ahead of time and serve them on the platter with the sliced steak (I always make them when I’m serving the Cowboy Steak from Best of Kosher too). Add some fresh herbs on top (you can add some roasted potatoes to the platter too if you like) and you have a gorgeous steak platter. Add a fresh, green salad and it’s a gorgeous, fresh meal that’s a nice and welcome change.

You can use either pearl or cipollini onions if you can find them. Shallots would also be great. These onions don’t only complement the meat. They’re a star themselves.

The only part that’s a bit of work is peeling those onions. Boil them for a couple minutes first, then drain and let cool. Once you’ve done that, cut off the stem and you can easily pop them out of the skin.

See?

The rest is easy! Saute them for a bit in some olive oil. Once they’re getting some color, add the sugar,

water, and red wine (balsamic vinegar also works). Bring liquid to a boil, then lower heat and cover. Let them cook for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid evaporates (time can vary, depending on how high your fire actually is).

Uncover towards the end so you can keep an eye on them. They should be super tender and melt-in-your-mouth at this point. Keep them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator! They’re easy to rewarm before serving (briefly in the oven will do the job).