Sweet and Sour Onion Wedges
Small yellow onions become a sweet-sour appetizer when braised slowly in butter, vinegar, and a little sweetener until tender and glazed. Serve them on their own with the pan juices, or surround them with air-fried mushrooms for a more substantial first course.
Ingredients
- 4 small yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1½ tablespoons good-quality wine vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons Allulose, to taste
- Salt
- Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
- Water, as needed
Optional Mushrooms
- Mushrooms, trimmed and halved or quartered if large
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Thyme, optional
Method
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Peel the onions. Trim the tops, but leave the root ends mostly intact. Cut each onion into quarters through the root so the wedges hold together.
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Choose a sauté pan that can contain the onion wedges snugly, but without overlapping too much. Add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the onion wedges cut-side down and cook until lightly browned.
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Add enough water to come partway up the onions. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, turning the onions gently from time to time, until they begin to soften. Add a tablespoon or two of water whenever the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient.
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When the onions begin to soften, add the vinegar, allulose, salt, and pepper. Give the onions one or two gentle turns and turn the heat down to low. Continue to cook until the onions are tender, richly colored, and coated in a glossy sweet-sour glaze. Add a tablespoon or two of water whenever it becomes necessary.
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If the onions are tender before the glaze is reduced, remove the onions from the pan, reduce the liquid until glossy, then return the onions to the pan and spoon the glaze over them.
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If serving with mushrooms, toss the mushrooms with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme if using. Air fry until browned and tender. Serve the onion wedges with the pan glaze, surrounded by the mushrooms.
Storage
The onions can be cooked several hours in advance and reheated gently over low heat, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
Leftover onions can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water until warm and glossy.
The mushrooms are best cooked shortly before serving. Leftover mushrooms can be refrigerated separately and reheated in an air fryer or skillet.
Notes
The original recipe uses small white boiling onions cooked whole. This version adapts the same sweet-sour braising idea to larger yellow onions cut into root-attached wedges so they can be served as an appetizer.
Do not cut away the root entirely or the onion wedges may fall apart during cooking.
The brief boiling-water blanch from the original recipe is mainly a peeling trick for tiny onions. It is not necessary for larger yellow onions if they peel easily.