This recipe for egg noodles with a creamy caramelized onion sauce is essentially the same as someone wrapping you up in a cashmere blanket and giving you a warm hug. It’s so easy for lazy afternoons when you’ve fallen asleep on the couch in front of the fire, and when you wake up the sky has begun to darken and the air coming in through the open window suddenly feels cooler. Tasting of vermouth spiked sweet onions cooked over low temperatures for a long amount of time, these noodles are a perfect combination of french onion noodle soup and cream of onion soup. You could easily serve this sauce over some other kind of pasta, or even white rice, if you don’ have any egg noodles lying around your pantry. I use good quality chicken bouillon cubes for the sauce, feel free to use 1 cup of liquid stock to 1 cup of milk if you prefer. I’ve never felt the need to serve a side dish with these noodles as I’m usually eating them in my pyjamas on the couch, but some gently steamed broccolini or green beans spiked with lemon juice and olive oil sound like they would be a welcome partner.

egg noodles in a creamy caramelized onion sauce:

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

About 2 1/2 cups work of onions, sliced (you can use any kind, really – including scallions and shallots)

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

About 1/4 cup white vermouth or very dry white wine

1 cup of water

1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled

1 cup of 2% milk

2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

About 1/4 – 1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley

Enough dried egg noodles to serve 2 people generously, cooked according to package directions

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet melt the butter and olive oil together over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, vermouth, and a small pinch of salt; allow to cook for up to an hour, stirring occasionally. Don’t rush this process and keep and eye on the heat, I often have to reduce it in the last half hour of cooking.
2. Towards the end of the caramelization process stir in water and bouillon cube (or 1 cup of stock). Whisk until combined and allow some of the liquid to evaporate in order to really intensify the flavour of the mushrooms.
3. Add the milk, making sure the heat is down low for this part in order to prevent the milk from boiling. Once the milk has heated up with the other ingredients scoop a small portion of the liquid out with a measuring cup and whisk in the flour so that you end up with a slurry mixture. Put this back into the pan with the caramelized onions and whisk gently until the sauce begins to thicken, stir in the parsley and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference.
4. Coat the noodles with the creamy sauce, using some of the cooking water to thin out the sauce if needed. Serve garnished with extra parsley.

Just imagine you can see these candles flickering on my table, right out of your view is a panoramic view of snow topped mountains and a warm sunny day fading gradually into blue and then indigo and then almost black. There’s a beach hidden by buildings, small boats coming home and large ones settling into their ocean blankets for the night. I can hear people walking home with their kids, the shift between light and darkness happening outside my window while I write. The songs I’m listening to sound like anxious gulps of music that build into pretty little mysteries of their own.

Colleen – Blue Sands