Caramelized Onion Aïoli Recipe

My secret to construct excellent smushies – small open faced sandwiches – are my unique sauces! A sauce makes the sandwich juicier, a delicious one adds much flavor, and a remarkable sauce can yield memorable results. Distinct flavors reveal personality through food. We have delightful personalities, so why not be delighted by our food?

Though aïoli is an exotic sounding name, this recipe is made from very normal ingredients: onions, mayonnaise, olive oil and butter, lemon juice, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. It’s a two-step recipe: 1) caramelize the onions, then 2) mix the aïoli.

Here is the first step:

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Caramelized Onions Recipe #2154

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion cut a large dice, between 2 and 3 cups
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea sa

Instructions

1. Heat a medium size pot over high heat. When hot, add in the butter and the oil. Swirl around to coat bottom of pan.
2. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle in the onion. Once it starts to sizzle, turn heat down to medium low. Stir periodically for 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Stir again periodically for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool before use, then store in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

The Aïoli I make from these caramelized onions is a little milder and smoother. I love this on most any smushi. If I have deli meat, and a jar of this in the refrigerator, I can very quickly assemble a great smushi: cut bread slices in half (to make them smushi-size), butter the slices, top with lettuce, slather on the aïoli, generously top with folds of the deli meat, sprinkle with salt and grind some fresh pepper on the very top. To receive an A+, top it with canned French’s fried onions.

More uses for aïoli:

• tuck it in a grilled cheese sandwich
• provide as a dip for grilled asparagus
• dress steamed artichokes

And here’s the second step:

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Caramelized Onion Aïoli Recipe #3690

Special equipment: food processor. This sauce turns out very smooth when mixed in a food processor.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup caramelized onions see above recipe
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• several grinds black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh curly parsley

Instructions

1. Pulse the caramelized onions in your food processer until smooth, perhaps a minute.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients: mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and parsley. Pulse for one to two minutes, until smooth.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Refrigerate in covered dish until ready to use.

Please e-mail me with feedback if you try this!