Recipe: Onion Confit (Preserve) with Chorizo

This is simple Spanish tapas recipe full of flavor.  The recipe comes in two parts: cooking down the onions and then cooking up the chorizo.  You can cook the onion confit and refrigerate for a few days: use some of it with the cooked chorizo, save some to top your burgers/pork chops or steaks, or even spread on bread!


Recipe: (Part 1)
3 huge yellow onions - cut length wise into very thin slices
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons of light (loose) brown sugar
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (just shy of the 1/3 cup!)
1/8-1/4 cup very good (almost thick) balsamic vinegar (good balsamic has a hint of sweetness to it)
2 Tablespoons of honey (optional)
1 stick chorizo (it looks like a 'fat' pepperoni stick)

1.  Slice up the onions
2.  In a large frying/saute pan with a tight fitting lid, add the oil and turn heat to medium.
3.  Add the onions to the warmed pan, toss onions to coat with oil
4.  As the onions begin to change a bit in color (don't over cook them) add the salt and pepper, bay leaves
5.  Cook for about 25 minutes with the lid on, tossing every so often
6.  Remove lid, add the sugar, wine and both vinegars
7.  Increase heat to high and bring to boil while stirring all the time - don't leave them unattended!
8.  Now, reduce heat again to simmer for 25 minutes or so until liquid is reduced.
9.  If after 25 minutes there is too much liquid (it should be thick, not gooey, not runny) add the honey and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
10. Let cool and refrigerate or serve right away on steak or pork chops - or with the chorizo if you've cooked it up!

To make the chorizo:  (Part 2)
1.  Cut the chorizo into very thin slices (or thick slices then halved or quartered)
2.  Place a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan and add the cut chorizo to the pan and cook until almost crispy. (chorizo is a cured meat and is ready to eat, frying it up releases some of the flavors, warms it up to serve with the onion confit)
3.  Drain the excess oil
4.  Add some of the onion confit to the chorizo in the frying pan and heat throughly.
(I used half my confit to mix with the chorizo...saving the rest for our burger and pork chop meals this week!)
5.  Serve it very warm!

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