The tasty and irresistible sweet and sour baby onions are a typical side dish from Emilia Romagna, now popular throughout Italy. They are very simple to make and can be served as an accompaniment to roasts, grilled meats, or aged cheeses.
To prepare them, you’ll need Borettane onions, (historically cultivated in Boretto, a village in Reggiano from which they derive their name), small and flat and not too pungent, they are perfect for making savory pies, preserves, and side dishes.
The sweet and sour note is achieved with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, two ingredients that create a perfect balance of flavors, giving the onions a surprising taste.
Over time, the original recipe has spread to other regions, creating many variations; instead of balsamic vinegar, you can use white or red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, while brown sugar can be replaced with regular sugar or honey.
If you want to prepare a quick, informal, and tasty dinner, serve them with a platter of cold cuts and cheeses, accompanied by flatbread or fried dough.
Try also these other recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: for 12 oz of baby onions
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 182.06 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.33 (g) of which sugars 17.93 (g)
- Proteins 1.26 (g)
- Fat 9.63 (g) of which saturated 6.24 (g)of which unsaturated 3.39 (g)
- Fibers 1.70 (g)
- Sodium 340.30 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 12 oz baby onions (Borettane, already cleaned)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or wine vinegar)
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Pan non-stick with lid
- 1 Scale
Procedure
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, add the baby onions and brown them over low heat for about 5 minutes, they should turn golden without becoming dark.
Add the brown sugar and half a cup of hot water, cover and cook for 10/15 minutes. Pierce an onion with a fork to check for doneness, it should be tender but intact; if necessary, cook them a few more minutes.
After the cooking time, add the balsamic vinegar, increase the heat and let the alcohol evaporate for a couple of minutes. Add salt and reduce the sauce until it is thick, similar to syrup.
The sweet and sour baby onions are ready, serve them warm or cold.
Tips
Storage
The sweet and sour baby onions can be stored in the fridge for 4/5 days in an airtight container.
To reheat them, you can sauté them for a couple of minutes in the pan or use the microwave
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