SERVES: 6 to 8
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Cipolline in agrodolce is a traditional country-style Italian dish featuring small, flat cipollini onions braised and bathed in a sweet-and-sour vinegar-and-sugar glaze. But within this simple formula, there are many possibilities: balsamic or wine vinegar? White or brown sugar? Butter or olive oil? With the goal of keeping the cipollinis’ sweet, buttery flavor front and center, we kept the ingredient list short and focused on delivering a big payout of flavor. Tasters chose balsamic vinegar for its rich, distinctive flavor and inherent sweetness, and granulated sugar over brown sugar for its cleaner flavor. To finish, all the dish needed was a bit of extra butter swirled in for enrichment and a sprinkle of fresh, fragrant basil. You can use frozen cipollini onions in this recipe; they are already peeled, so skip step 1.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds cipollini onions
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in a large saucepan. Add onions and cook for 30 seconds.
- Drain the onions in a colander and run under cold water until cool to touch, then transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and pat dry. Trim root and stem ends, then peel and discard onion skins.
- In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, bring the onions, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon butter, 1½ teaspoons sugar, salt, and pepper flakes to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the water is nearly evaporated, stirring halfway through cooking, for about 10 minutes.
- Uncover skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook onions, flipping as needed, until well-browned on both sides, for 4 to 7 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
VARIATION:
- White Balsamic Glazed Cipollini Onions with Tarragon Substitute white balsamic vinegar for balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon for basil.
