FOOD NEWS
Blend Caramelized Onions Into Soup For A Savory Burst Of Flavor
BY JULIA HOLLAND
Due to their rich flavor and melt-in-your-mouth consistency, caramelized onions are easy to blend into a uniform paste, acting as both a flavoring and thickening agent for soups.
Caramelization implies the slow cooking of sugars, resulting in a deep brown coloring and a complex sweetness that no other process can imitate.
To caramelize onions, sauté thinly sliced onions over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Then, turn the heat to medium-low and cook them for another 45 minutes.
Once cooked, caramelized onions yield a fraction of the volume of their raw counterparts, so make a large batch. Sauté with olive oil and butter to add even more savory flavors.
To add caramelized onions to soups, blend them into a creamy puree with its solid ingredients. For brothy soups, blend some of the broth and onions, then add it back to the soup.