{"id":1009,"date":"2012-03-21T23:02:02","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T23:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irreverin.com\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2013-02-10T11:01:24","modified_gmt":"2013-02-10T18:01:24","slug":"carmelized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2012\/03\/carmelized\/","title":{"rendered":"Carmelized"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>My house rule for cooking: \u201cThat\u2019s not burned. It\u2019s carmelized!\u201d<\/p>\n

I really, really hate a big ol hunk of raw onion. Period. I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s in a fresh, beautiful salad, or gracing a perfect burger just off the grill, or garnishing a summer farmer\u2019s market feast. A raw onion can ruin anything.<\/p>\n

A carmelized onion, on the other hand\u2026i challenge you to find me a food that cannot be improved by the onion that has been greased and turned and browned, and loved into perfection. You could find something, i\u2019m sure, but it would be a challenge.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you ever wonder\u2026who was the first person\u00a0to discover that an ugly, smelly, rough, dirty vegetable could be transformed into something so heavenly, simply by burning\u00a0<\/em>it a little?<\/p>\n

That will preach, I tell you what. Here are\u00a0three reasons the carmelized onion is downright\u2013i hate this word, but ima say it\u2013inspirational.<\/em><\/p>\n

1<\/strong>\u2013 In the spirit of Hallmark card optimism<\/em>, for instance: in the midst of struggle, chaos or\u00a0wilderness, we need only remind ourselves that we are being refined for a higher purpose.\u00a0The heat of trial is just drawing out an inner strength or sweetness that we never even knew to look for. We may get uncomfortable, but out of this frying pan emerges one\u2019s best possible self.<\/p>\n

2-<\/strong>In the spirit of persistence<\/em>: it might be taking a long daggone time, but if i stand at this stove long enough, i\u2019ll have produced, possibly, a thing of beauty. Don\u2019t give up until you reach that optimum temperature and texture. Because, you know,\u00a0an onion CAN be just plain burned. In which case it is every bit as gross as a raw one.<\/p>\n

3-<\/strong> In the spirit of moving through life as a visionary:<\/em> who are the people who can look at a seemingly\u00a0overcooked meal, a failed endeavor, a missed opportunity\u2026and rather than\u00a0tossing out the whole pan\u00a0and lamenting the loss, they transform the whole mess into something life-giving? Maybe even gourmet? When you say \u2018yes\u2019 to your mistakes, sometimes you\u2019ll find you didn\u2019t go so wrong, after all\u2026<\/p>\n

In keeping with my English Major Diet<\/a>, I will share one of my very favorite quick and (reasonably) healthy meals to throw together on a weeknight. I say reasonably healthy because it does involve bacon; however, bacon not the main attraction, so it\u2019s cool. Especially if you use whole grain pasta. I got the recipe from Mark Bittman\u2019s How to Cook Everything<\/a>, but it\u2019s more a concept than a detailed step by step. Basically, you dice and cook a few pieces of bacon. Then you put the bacon on a paper towel, and pour out most of the bacon grease. In the little bit of grease that\u2019s left, you carmelize some onions. (Are you a believer yet? Yeah, this is pretty much going to be the best thing ever). Let them cook long and slow until you get that great translucent thing going. Meanwhile, boil water and cook your pasta. Once the onions get to that happy place, add a can of diced\u00a0tomatoes (do NOT go cheap\/store brand on the tomatoes, folks. Not worth it the 7 cents you might save), and put the bacon back in. Serve with pasta and some fresh grated parm.\u00a0 Good with a chilled Shiraz. (I prefer the kind that costs about $4, but maybe you want to splurge).<\/p>\n

Not sure if I\u2019m feeling hungry, optimistic, or inspired right now\u2026But I\u2019d say any of them will make for a good rest of the evening. See? You just can\u2019t go wrong with\u00a0a good onion. It goes with everything, mood, food, or otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My house rule for cooking: \u201cThat\u2019s not burned. It\u2019s carmelized!\u201d I really, really hate a big ol hunk of raw onion. Period. I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s in a fresh, beautiful salad, or gracing a perfect burger just off the grill, or garnishing a summer farmer\u2019s market feast. A raw onion can ruin anything. A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":2376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,620],"tags":[286,617,27,619,642,643,10,644,1196],"class_list":["post-1009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lent-and-easter","category-the-best-stuff-i-ever-ate-diet","tag-cooking","tag-diet","tag-faith","tag-food","tag-inspiration","tag-optimism","tag-spirituality","tag-wine","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nCarmelized<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My house rule for cooking: "That's not burned. It's carmelized!" I really, really hate a big ol hunk of raw onion. Period. 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