The inspiration for this gently sweet; uber-savory puree is a soubise; an old-school French onion-butter-cream sauce (it's Escoffier old-school). We make ours with olive oil; lemon juice and water instead; and treat it as a spread or dip...and we're wholly obsessed. We've slathered it on toast (it's a vegan aioli of sorts) and topped it with grilled eggplant and salsa verde; or with roasted beets; raw and roasted carrots and dukkah; all to great success. We've been known to serve it as part of a plateau; too. If you want to use it as a sauce for pasta; it can be thinned with more olive oil and some pasta cooking water -- and it's marvelous (as in pasta with caramelized onions; roasted tomatoes and herbs). Onions; we salute you. (And we love you. A lot.)

Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt and now...wait. Really; just wait. You'll want to give the onions a good stir every 5-10 minutes or so; but making caramelized onions is really just about time. In a minimum of 45 minutes; possibly more; your pan's worth of onions should have melted down to just over a cup's worth of silky; sweet; rich onion strands. But don't be hasty; if they’re not dark enough; they’re not truly caramelized…and that’s where the magic happens!Once they're nice and golden-brown; tip the onions into a blender and add another sprinkle of salt; a good bit of black pepper; two more tablespoons of olive oil; the lemon juice and the water. Drizzle in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and more water; as needed; until you have a silky-smooth puree. (With our Vitamix; it works best to start on a low speed until the onions are really pureed; and then crank up the heat to get things airy and fluffy.) Taste and adjust flavor as needed -- more lemon if you'd like it more lemony; more black pepper if you want more of a peppery kick; more salt if the flavor isn't popping. What's coming off your spoon should be sweet; savory and magically delicious.Store in the fridge (it keeps for a week; at least) and slather on things with abandon.