Community Kitchen: Ode to the Paseo Onion Obsession

Brennan McQuerry photo

Paseo's Onion Obsession Sandwich

Normally, when I visit Paseo, a Caribbean lunch joint in Seattle, I order their Cuban Press: a hot pressed sandwich of smoked ham, swiss cheese, tender roasted pork, pickled jalapenos, and caramelized onions. So blissfully good I drool just thinking about it. The caramelized onions alone are reason enough to visit Paseo. In fact, they even have a sandwich called the Onion Obsession: a generous serving of those caramelized onions on a toasted baguette with aioli and pickled jalapenos. I?d never tried the onions alone and decided, on my last visit to Seattle over the holidays, to give it a shot. I?d been thinking about Paseo?s onions for a while, actually, and when I placed my order, I did my best to pry the secret from the guy working the register.

?So, what kind of onions do you use on your sandwiches anyway?? I asked casually.

He replied that they use Walla Walla Sweets. This came as no great surprise because Walla Walla, Washington is just a few hours from Seattle. What I didn?t understand, though, was how they managed to cook the onions so perfectly.

?And how is it possible that the onions are so tender, and plump, and juicy too? They?re the best caramelized onions I?ve ever had,? I said.

?Well, first we blanch them.?

"Really? I?d never thought to blanch onions before caramelizing them.?

?Yes. Then we start them really early in the morning and spend all day??

Perhaps I looked overly eager. In any case, the man broke off, becoming suspicious. He told me that Paseo guards the secret of their caramelized onions very closely, and no matter how I pleaded with him after that, I could get no more information.

I enjoyed my sandwich nonetheless, meditating all the while on the perfect preparation of the onions; I decided that when I returned to Missouri, I would spend all day in the kitchen if I had to until I was able to get the onions right. And I did (spend nearly all day, that is).

I tried blanching them whole and then slicing them (too slimy). I tried slicing and then blanching (easier). I tried baking them at low temperatures for hours (too watery) and cooking them at low temperatures on the stovetop (better). In the end, I was pleased with my re-creation of the sandwich. It wasn?t a perfect match, but it was extremely good. I didn?t get fancy enough to pickle any jalapenos, and I went with a yogurt sauce rather than aioli, because Gordy has an aversion to mayonnaise.

MY KNOCK-OFF CARAMELIZED ONION SANDWICH (serves 4)

For sandwich:
4 very large Walla Walla or other sweet onions
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 baguette
Sliced Swiss cheese
Spinach, green leaf lettuce, or other green of your choice
One bunch fresh cilantro

For sauce:
? cup plain yogurt
? very ripe, large avocado
2 teaspoons lime juice
? teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, partially seeded (seed completely if you don?t like spice) and coarsely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rapid boil. While you wait for the water to boil, peel the onions, chop off the roots, and cut a small portion from the side of each onion to give it a flat surface (to prevent rolling while you slice). Lay each onion on the flat side and cut it crosswise into ?-inch slices. (Each slice should reveal concentric rings). Place the sliced onion in the boiling water and blanch for about 3 minutes. Drain.

Heat a very large skillet (or two medium skillets) over medium-low heat. Add butter and olive oil. Add onions and a pinch of salt and stir to evenly distribute oil and butter. Cover the pan. The onions should cook for about an hour. For the first half hour or so, it?s fine to only stir the onions occasionally. Further along in the cooking process however, the onions will begin to brown, and you?ll have to stir them more frequently to prevent burning. Once onions are an even, golden brown (see photo), they?re ready.

Meanwhile, you can make the sauce: place all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend for about a minute, until sauce is completely smooth.

Cut baguette into four equal lengths. Slice each in half, butter the inside, and lay 1-2 slices of cheese on the open face. Broil the sandwiches for five minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and edges of sandwich begin to brown. Remove sandwiches from broiler, top with lettuce. Divide sauce evenly among the four sandwiches. Top each with a generous portion of the caramelized onions. Sprinkle cilantro over top. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblogs/community-kitchen/2012/jan/12/ode-to-the-paseo-onion-obsession/

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