It's not every day that we recommend intentionally burning your food! Mark Bittman actually calls onions cooked until they're tender and slightly charred one of his basic culinary staples. And doesn't the dish above look perfectly simple and delicious?
Try This! Burnt Onions...Mark-Bittman-Style
To be honest, we've done this on accident this plenty of times. We get impatient for caramelized onions, we boost up the heat (even though we know better!), and then we end up with onions like these: tender and sweet strings with crispy edges.
It just never occurred to us to do this on purpose!
As Mark Bittman mentions, these burnt onions go well with any savory dish - honestly, anywhere you'd think of using caramelized onions. We also agree that they'd be excellent mixed in with a bowl of grains and served as a side dish. Or add some greens and you've got a light, tasty meal.
We'll definitely be trying this (on purpose) soon. What about you?
• Burn Those Onions by Mark Bittman
Related: Taste Boosters: Eight Ways to Add Smoky Flavor to a Dish
(Image: Mark Bittman)
Comments (5)
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My mom used to make these all the time. To us, they were just "fried onions." They're especially good on burgers. Yum!
view ShellyIN's profile
I put this on top of pizza, with anchovies and cremini mushrooms, or as a rich, warm finish to a salad.
view gourmandizzy's profile
I do this on purpose too. Normally when I am frying up pork chops I let the onions burn a bit with the chops. But I happen to like burning most of my food. Something about the flavor, charred and (sometimes) salty.
I don't know why I like burned food (not brick hard and black) - but a little dry and crunchy, salty and burned on top it's often the best part of the meal for me.
view gnomette's profile
That dish, lentils and rice, with almost-burned onions on top is a traditional Middle Eastern dish, mjaddarah, peasant food for people from the Levant--Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and thereabouts. Of course, other cuisines have their own versions. You have to be really careful at the end, with the onions; it's easy to go too far. You can flavor the lentils with cumin and/or allspice if you like, or you can make the dish with bulghur instead of lentils.
Anyway, this is especially good with a side you make from plain yogurt, chopped cucumbers, garlic, and mint.
It's also great with fattoosh, a chopped green salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing.
view MansardRoof's profile
good to know, since I am incredibly gifted at burning onions!
view mschatelaine's profile