Good things take time. This good thing took four hours.

The recipe came from an article in the LA Times that I found on a geek message board that I frequent. All of the reader commentary was along the lines of “who the heck is crazy enough to spend four hours making this?”

Ahem…

I read the article shortly before visiting the greenmarket at Union Square on Saturday, where the pickings were, well, what you would expect from those poor freezing vendors in January. And feeling less than inspired and even depressed by bin after bin of potatoes (24 different kinds!), I became fixated on the idea of caramelized onions.

Which is how I wound up purchasing 5 pounds of yellow onions.

And chopping them up into quarter inch strips.

And setting the timer every fifteen minutes for the next four hours…

While they slowly changed from white to golden…

… I returned to the stove each time the timer went off to stir.

And just when I was about to give up on the onions that had hijacked my afternoon, they reached the desired texture and color.

And WOW, they smelled amazing in all of their delicious, sweet and savory caramel-y, onion-y goodness.

There’s a very good reason that the recipe demands five whole pounds of onions (and as a result, a lot of tears). When I started, my 7 quart Dutch oven was full to the brim. By then end, the onions fit in a small bowl, which will sit covered in my fridge until they make their debut (with their friend goat cheese) on top of pizza later this week.

Caramelized Onions
Adapted from the recipe accompanying the article Slow Cook Onions and the Results Are Delicious by Russ Parsons of the LA Times 

1/2 cup oil

1. Cut off the stem and root ends of the onions, then halve them lengthwise and peel away the dried brown skin. Cut the onions lengthwise into one-fourth inch thick slices. As you finish, gather the onions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot (preferably cast-iron). A 7-quart pot will work just about perfectly.

2. When all of the onions have been sliced, pour over the oil and the salt and stir to combine. Set over medium heat and cover. Cook until the onions begin to wilt, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes to keep from sticking. As the onions soften, they will reduce in size quite dramatically.

3. After 20 to 30 minutes, the onions will be quite soft and they will begin to stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking with the pot covered, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes to keep from sticking.

4. After 45 to 50 minutes, the onions will be silky and will be swimming in moisture. Remove the lid and increase the heat back to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, until the moisture has mostly evaporated and the onions have begun to turn golden, about 25 to 30 more minutes.

5. Once again, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions really begin to brown more deeply, about 2 more hours (this will make 2 1/2 to 3 hours total).

6. At this point, you’ll need to watch the onions very carefully, stirring every couple of minutes or so. Cook until the onions have been reduced to a deep, reddish-brown marmalade, watching that they do not dry out, about 1 more hour, making 3 to 4 hours total.