Senegalese Onions

A disclaimer: I am not Senegalese, and I have never (sadly) been to Senegal. Furthermore, I've only eaten Senegalese food half a dozen times. At each of these Senegalese restaurants, we were served a sort-of side dish/sauce/relish made of mustardy onions. It was such a perfect complement to grilled chicken, roasted lamb, etc. We loved it! I have reviewed dozens of Senegalese & West African recipes to re-create the flavor, and I have culled ideas from many of them. In restaurants, this sauce has always been semi-spicy, but it never been as spicy as some of the recipes suggested (ie, two+ scotch bonnets). This recipe is my to-date best attempt (as of 2/9/18). This is a non-spicy option - as I generally cook for a range of lovable but wimpy people. 

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 6  onions (medium, white or yellow, not sweet or mild, sliced thickly - 1/3 inch slices)
• 4  garlic cloves (quartered)
• 1  cup  vegetable oil (a mild oil, not olive oil)
• 1⁄2 cup  whole grain mustard (not dijon)
• 1⁄4 cup brown mustard (basic, supermarket brand, not sharp)
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice (embarrassed to say, I use jarred)
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  teaspoons bouillon (I use Better than Bouillon, chicken, but you could use the vegetable bouillon or two cubes)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper (I use white pepper because it adds a peppery depth, without any heat, but black pepper is better)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan.
2. Bring to a low boil.
3. Stir, making sure that onions on the bottom do not over-cook or stick.
4. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Check by tasting an onion; they should be noticeably softer but still a little al dente.
5. Turn off the heat and let the sauce sit at room temperature (I leave it all day, until dinner time).
6. Note: I leave the garlic & bay leaf in the sauce, as they continue to impart flavor, but the raw garlic can be jarring for some. Remove it or alert folks. After a couple of weeks, though, the garlic is deliciously pickled.
7. Serve room temperature as a relish alongside roasted meats. Or fry up in the roasting pan (using the pan dripping)  and serve on top of meat, chicken, shrimp, etc.
8. Store the sauce/relish in the fridge; it last for several weeks.