Caramelised Onions

Caramelised onions will add a sweetness and richness to any dish! Typically, they are used to create the base between a bun and a burger - but that isn't the only way...

It's a good idea to cook your caramelised onions ahead of time - you can easily warm them up or eat them cold. That is because it takes about 40 minutes to slow cook them - and you can fry about 10 burgers in the same time!

So here's what you need

You only need three ingredients:

Peel and slice the onions. I like to cut large rings but medium to thin thickness. This gives the caramelised onions 'length' while ensuring that they cook evenly.

Then, add the 30 grams of Serriana olive (or 2 tablespoons) to a heavy frying pan and heat the oil.

Once the oil is hot (you can tell it is hot as the oil begins to run more) but not too hot (it should never spit or, worse, smoke) then add the sliced onions,

On a low heat, cook the onions gently for about 30 minutes.

I use a frying pan with a lid - it keeps the natural moisture of the onions in the pay and ensures that the onions half fry and half boil. However, if you don't have a lid (or one you can borrow from a saucepan), just add a little hot water every now and then.

You want to onions to cook slowly and not catch on the bottom the of pan - so that you maximise the caramelised flavour.

After 30 minutes, add a good splash of Vinagre de Jerez or Balsamic Vinegar or similar. This will ensure the onions gain a lovely reddish brown glow.

Now, your onions are ready to eat hot - or leave to eat cold later.

Although you might use your caramelised onions in your meat based burger bap - it is also possible to use vegan meat or a bean burger.

Equally, if you are sensitive to gluten (or thinking about heart health) then just leave the bread roll out of the dish.

Here's how I (below) used the caramelised onions with Heura vegan chicken (which I olive oil fried with some of the caramelised oil from the onions) with vegan Waldorf Salad.

(You turn a normal Waldorf Salad into a vegan version by using oat milk mayonnaise instead of egg based mayonnaise).

Are you looking for more heart healthy recipes? We can help with that! Serriana Olive oil is a super healthy and delicious butter alternative. Check out more butter free recipes here.