Peel and halve the onions and slice them as thinly as possible, ideally on a mandoline. Toss them in a bowl with the sugar and the coarse salt.

Ingredients

• 1,000 gOnions, raw
• 75 gTomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average
• 1 gSugars, granulated
• 1.5 gSalt, table
• 6 gLard

Method

1. Peel and halve the onions and slice them as thinly as possible, ideally on a mandoline. Toss them in a bowl with the sugar and the coarse salt.
2. Leave the onions to macerate at room temperature for at least 2 hours; they will release plenty of juice. Meanwhile scald, peel and finely dice the tomatoes.
3. Put the onions with the juice they have released and the lard into a wide, heavy pan (the original recipe prescribes aluminium). Cook over very low heat for about 2 hours, stirring often with a wooden spoon so that they never catch, until soft and hazelnut-coloured.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 1.5 hours more, stirring constantly. The friggione is ready when the onions and tomatoes have become a thick cream and the lard forms pinkish bubbles on the surface. Serve warm with boiled meats (bollito misto).