Daussades

Title:
Daussades

Yield:
6 Servings

Categories:
Appetizers,
French




Ingredients:





     4 tb Butter


     3 lb Red onions; medium sized


     1 tb Balsamic vinegar


 1 1/4 c  Red wine; full bodied such


          -as Zinfandel or Petit Sirah


          Salt & pepper to taste


          Sherry wine vinegar


   1/4 c  Ham, baked; minced






 "Once upon a time, one rainy summer day in France, hungry, damp, lost, and


 tired in a hill town overlooking the stormy Mediterranean, I found a tiny


 auberge. Just like in the books, the patron welcomed me warmly and led me


 to a tiny table beside the fire. Before I could even slip out of my damp


 shoes he reappeared with a glass of red wine, a basket of crisp rolls, and


 a heavenly dish that he called "daussades." Whatever you call it, it is


 bliss. This recipe is as close as I can come to the delicious dish that


 warmed and restored me on that stormy day. The long, slow cooking of the


 onions produces a thick, velvety sauce, sweet and a little tart. (The


 minced ham doesn't hurt either.)


 


 Halve the onions lengthwise and slice thinly. In a 4-quart enameled or


 stainless steel saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add onions, swirl


 them around, cover, and sweat them for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.


 


 Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently,


 until the onions are glazed and golden, about 15 minutes. Add the balsamic


 vinegar and boil down for 2-3 minutes to glaze further.


 


 Reduce heat to low, add the wine, and cook, stirring often, until the


 onions are soft and a beautiful deep brown, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.


 


 Season with salt, a grinding or two of black pepper, and a tablespoon or so


 of sherry wine vinegar. Stir in the ham. Serve hot, at room temperature, or


 warm.


 


 AFTERTHOUGHTS: Daussades is wonderful with crusty bread, on toast and


 served with drinks, with grilled chicken, or liver, or steak, or, or, or...


 You may also like to try it with sweet Spanish onions.


 


 This will keep, refrigerated, for 2 or 3 days, so don't wait for a rainy


 day--make it sometime when you have a few hours, then get it out and warm


 it up when you need it. It will be a star in your culinary crown; that's a


 promise.


 


 Source: "Lilies of the Kitchen" by Barbara Batcheller


 Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #291


 


 Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 01:39:32 +0000


 


 From: Linda Place