Red Onion Sauce, (New York Hot Dog Cart Style)

Red Onion Sauce 

(New York Hot Dog Cart Style)

New Yorkers tend to take things for granted. Pizza. We never give it a second thought. We have our favorite spots, and they know us. Picky we are. We like it a certain way. Same with bagels. We have our favorite topping, everything, poppy seed, sesame, plain, egg, pumpernickel, raisin, etc. We have our favorite schmear. Plain, veggie, salmon, scallion spread. Whitefish salad, lox tomato and cream cheese. But, authentic New York bagels and pizza are hard to find if you live elsewhere. That's fine for people who are not from New York. But if you are a picky New Yorker who moved to Florida, or Arizona like some cousins of mine, sometimes you have a craving for the real thing, chain pizzerias, bagels in the plastic sleeve will just not do it, and frozen pizzas are out of the question. I admit when I lived out of New York, bakery sections in large supermarkets sold an acceptable bagel, and pizzerias that proudly proclaim "New York style," even some proclaiming they truck in New York water for authenticity (as is done in some bagel places outside of New York). At least they try. But we don't really appreciate the real thing while we have it, and are all to critical of what's available when we don't.

Pizza is an layering of three items: the dough, the sauce and the cheese, and the best quality of each MUST be used. The problem really stems from the sauce. It tends to be over seasoned in most places. See, there's this thing available in markets called "Italian Seasoning." Italians have never heard of it. [Nor have they heard of Italian Dressing for salads. The same with French dressing with the French, and Russian...] And Italian Seasoning has no place in Italian food. So, for the real sauce use the best canned tomatoes possible, garlic lightly sautéed in olive oil, salt, pepper, a few leaves of FRESH basil and if you must, a pinch, just a pinch of dried oregano, but the oregano would be more authentic lightly sprinkled on top of a cooked pizza. Seeing lots of dried herbs floating around a marinara sauce, or in a pizza sauce tells me it was not made by an Italian, rather someone who wanted to make it Italian with the herbs. Real New York pizzeria sauce is pristine red, fresh basil, and not bespeckled with Italian Seasoning. Feh!

So what about the onions, you ask? Don't worry, I'm getting there. We affectionately call the hot dogs sold from those carts "dirty water dogs." Their holding vessel is filled with water, heated with a propane tank and the hot dogs are put in to simmer, releasing their juices into the water, and as the day wears on, the water turns more and more a reddish brown, hence the name. My mom always said the hot dogs sold at the end of the day taste better than the ones early in the day because the juices released during their long simmer creates a stock that gets better and better. But those carts are dwindling away, for the Greeks and Italians who operated them throughout the decades have retired or passed on, and they are being replaced by Halal Food carts selling savory dishes from the Middle East; they do sell hot dogs, for sure, but if you ask for the onions (I have!), they use the commercial brands available in the refrigerated section of supermarkets, near the hot dogs in the case, so I carry on. Meh! Oh, and the hot dog brand for the carts is Sabrett, no other! Right next to the Nathan's hot dogs on supermarket shelves, but Nathan's hot dogs are grilled in the stores, not simmered in the dirty water, so, yes, Nathan's is great in its domain, and they do offer the saucy onions, but it's not the same experience as the carts. And if you turn on the grill to cook your franks and burgers, I will not get upset if you use the onions.

This is more method than a recipe, because I never measure when I make them. I was never given measurements. So here I will guestimate the ingredients if you are going to use 1 8oz can of tomato sauce. Uhm, maybe this will make 1qt of sauce? This method comes from an old family friend over 40 years ago. He was Italian and he told me how it's done. Tradition. Thank you, Tom Gallo!

Ingredients:

2 large Onions, peeled and sliced into 1/4in by 1in. pieces

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
1 small 8oz can Tomato Sauce (not spaghetti sauce, not pizza sauce, the little cans. Get it?)
1 can Water

2 Tbs White Vinegar

A pinch, not to exceed 1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning

Procedure:

Heat a medium sized pot or large frying pan on medium low for a minute and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions, salt, pepper and sugar. The salt and sugar help to draw out the juices and soften the onion. Sweat gently, (not sauté or brown) about 10 minutes until the onion is soft. When the onions are soft, add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a simmer (not a boil) and cook for about 30 minutes. If there is still too much liquid, turn up the heat a little, watch carefully, and let reduce a bit. If it becomes too dry, add a little water to keep from scorching. Put in plastic containers and freeze. This can be defrosted and reheated as many times as you need with no affect on quality. Simple and delicious. 

Enjoy! # NY Hot Dog Onions