Ok.  So this is a recipe with the word "simple" in it that takes 3 1/2 hours to make.  But the ingredients are few, there are no real skills involved -- and taste like this doesn’t happen in fifteen minutes, people.   A few onions cooked for three hours, with only the smallest flick of other complimentary flavors, become way more than the sum of their parts. 

Make your onion sauce on a Sunday afternoon and use it all week long on sandwiches, over breaded tofu, on crackers, as an accessory for fish or meat, or as a base for a vegetarian French onion soup (or any soup, really).   Great hot or cold, but even better the second day than the first.  Adapted from The Book of Tofu by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi. 

Prep Time:  10 Minutes
Cooking Time:  3 ½ Hours 
Yield:  About 3 Cups
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 Onions, thinly sliced
1 Tsp Tamari
1 Tbsp Butter
 
Directions:
Heat a large, heavy pot over low heat and add the olive oil.   Add onions, cover, and simmer for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.  Once onions have reached a deep brown color and become very soft, stir in butter and tamari.  Simmer for an additional 15 minutes.  Keeps for one week, refrigerated.  Serve hot or cold.