Sweet Onion Casserole

My mom always had a tough time cooking for my dad. She couldn’t use any herbs or spices (let alone garlic) or he wouldn’t eat what she prepared. But she learned to make many foods tasty using wine and onions. This is one recipe our whole family loves.

• 3 – 5 pounds of sweet onions, pealed and sliced (Vidalia or Sweet Spanish work great)
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter
• 1 cup butter cracker crumbs (Keebler butter thins or Ritz)
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Saute onions in butter until transparent and starting to lightly brown. Lately I’ve been adding a small amount a garlic to the saute and 2 tablespoons of white at the end of the sauteing. My mom looked longingly at me when I told her.

It takes at least one waxed sleeve of butter crackers to make 1 cup of fine crumbs. I put the crackers in the food processor, but a rolling pin works fine too. Add the parmesan cheese to the cracker crumbs.

In a round Pyrex dish, layer the sauteed onions first, then a layer of the cracker crumb mixture then another layer of onions topping off with the last of the cracker mixture. Most of the time I double or even triple this recipe since the onions cook down so far if you start to allow them to caramelize (which adds to the flavor greatly!)

Bake this at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the topping starts to brown.

by Edwina Constant