I’d prefer to assume I’m the sort of one that will take the time to scrub, dry, and chop the wide range of produce it takes to make a salad, however I’m not. I’m lazy, which is why I’ve just lately been on a bagged salad kick. These kits provide a straightforward method to ensure I really eat a vegetable now and again. I’m not so lazy that I don’t riff on them, nonetheless, and my favourite tweak for the time being is sprinkling dried caramelized onions throughout each salad I eat.
Whereas I might by no means name these savory little guys “vegan bacon bits” or one thing equally foolish, I’ll admit they slip into the bacon bit position with ease. They is probably not product of pork, nor style smoky, however they’re salty, savory, and candy, with a deep umami with the facility to anchor a bowl of chopped kale and cabbage.
Past uncooked greens, dehydrated caramelized onions are the proper completion for just about anything. I’ve loved them sprinkled over scrambled eggs, fried straight into egg whites, blended into mashed potatoes, and scattered over a bowl of lima beans. Combine them into bitter cream and so they’ll rehydrate to create a beautiful little dip. Pulverize them with salt and also you’ll have caramelized onion salt (use a ratio of three elements onion and two elements salt).
How you can dehydrate caramelized onions
The strategy for making dehydrated caramelized onions is correct there within the identify, if barely out of order: First you caramelize some onions (I do mine on a sheet pan within the oven), then you definately dehydrate them. In case you have a meals dehydrator, merely observe the producer’s directions. If you happen to don’t have a meals dehydrator, set your oven as little as it would go. For me, that is 185℉, however 200℉ will work simply tremendous. I additionally used my oven’s convection setting to hurry issues up.
Unfold your caramelized onions in a good layer on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper. Place in your 185℉-ish oven till the onions are dry to the contact and could be crushed and crumbled between your fingers. (Cease too quickly, and you’ll have one thing that tastes and looks like caramelized onion jerky, which can also be good.) I dried my final batch for eight hours in a 185-degree oven, then switched the oven off and allow them to cool inside for one more hour. They have been excellent.
As soon as your onions are dry and crumbly, it’s time to get to crumbling. Sprinkle them on proteins, greens, grains, pasta, popcorn, soups, salads, sauces, and anything that begs for a success of salty, candy umami.
