Lovin’ Onions Just The Plain Old Yellow Type Make This Carmelized Pizza One Sweet Treat

People have always had an attitude about onions. First, onions were part of the allium-based sniggering joke club - scorned because of their strong smell. Then they zoomed into the vegetable stratosphere with appellation-labeled superonions getting their full 15 minutes of fame.

All too often, though, the problem is that they’re not even noticed. Onions are tossed off as culinary filler … forgotten … ignored.

But onions never go out of season (almost). They never go too high in price. And when they’re cooked, onions are among the sweetest vegetables on this green earth.

The best part is, the cheaper the onion, the better it tastes. Here’s the deal: An onion’s flavor is made up of basically two parts: the sweetness of the sugar stored in the root, and the pungency of the sulfuric compounds that make you cry.

So-called sweet onions, the premium bulbs that can cost four or five times as much as plain yellow onions, actually aren’t higher in sugar at all. In fact, they have less. It’s just that they’re also lower in tear-causing compounds, so when eaten raw they taste sweeter.

But the pungency is heat-sensitive and goes away with cooking, while the sugar doesn’t. Anyone who has played with designer onions will attest that once they’re cooked, these high-priced darlings turn very plain-Jane.

That’s why, for cooking, you’re best off with regular old yellow onions. When the pungency cooks off, there’s still enough sugar left to be interesting.

Getting these onions down to the caramelized stage is no big trick. The main thing it takes is a lot of time. Try to rush the process and you’ll wind up with scorched onions, which is no one’s idea of a good time. Start slowly and then cook even slower.

Only when the onions are about to melt into a puree do you finally turn up the heat and start the browning. What you’re left with is something quite sweet indeed.

Caramelized Onion Pizza

4 cups bread flour

1 envelope fast-rising dry yeast

Salt

Olive oil

1-1/3 to 1-1/2 cups warm water

3 pounds yellow onions, sliced (about 4 large)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1/2 pound mozzarella, grated

1 cup mixture grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses, equal amounts

Freshly ground pepper

Combine flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse to combine.

With food processor running, begin pouring water through feed tube until dough mass forms and holds together and bumps around bowl on top of metal blade. Continue running 15 to 20 seconds to knead dough.

Remove dough and continue kneading by hand, four to five turns, until dough is smooth and satiny. Divide into four pieces. Shape each piece into flat round. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside to rise.

Combine onions and 3 tablespoons olive oil in large saute pan. Place over low heat and cook until onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, stir and cover. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft, another 30 to 45 minutes.

Add half of minced garlic and raise heat to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. They will turn dark brown but must not turn black. When onions start to caramelize, remove from heat. Add remaining garlic and rosemary. Set aside, stirring occasionally until pan is cool to keep from scorching.

Meanwhile, place oven rack lined with quarry tiles or pizza stone on lowest level and preheat oven to its highest non-broiler temperature (typically 500 to 550 degrees).

When ready to cook pizza, roll out one dough round as thin as possible. Dust wooden pizza paddle or back of rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. Place pizza crust on top and distribute 1/4 mozzarella evenly across top, stopping 1/2-inch short of rim. Distribute 1/4 of caramelized onions over that, spreading fairly even with back of spoon. Sprinkle over 1/4 of grated cheese combination. Repeat with remaining dough rounds.

Slide pizzas into preheated oven and bake until bottom of crust browns and cheese begins to bubble and blister, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool 2 to 3 minutes to let cheese set before cutting into pieces.

Yield: Four pizzas, about eight servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 495 calories, 964 milligrams sodium, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 18 grams fat (33 percent fat calories), 63 grams carbohydrate, 21 grams protein, 1 gram fiber.