I like this best with shallots, which are prettier and tastier than boiling onions. Some people add raisins (about 1/4 cup, from the beginning), which does not turn me on. Others garnish with toasted pine nuts, a nice but unnecessary touch. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: almost any member of the onion family, including leeks, scallions, and any kind of onion—if the onions are large, peel and quarter them, then insert a toothpick into each quarter to hold it together during the cooking.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

　　1 pound small white boiling onions or shallots, peeled

　　1/2 cup white wine, preferably not too dry

　　1 bay leaf

　　3 tablespoons good-quality red or white wine vinegar

　　2 teaspoons sugar

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　Pine nuts, toasted briefly in a dry skillet for garnish, optional

　　Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional

　　

Step 1

Put the oil in a skillet that is large enough to hold the onions in one layer and has a lid and place over medium-high heat. A minute later, add the onions and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until they brown lightly, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute. Add 1 cup water and the bay leaf and cook the onions until soft, about 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and cover. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers and cook for at least 20 minutes longer, adding a little more water if the mixture threatens to dry out. When the onions are browned all over and very soft, garnish if you like and serve hot or at room temperature, with the juices.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.