Good Taste / April 2007
Layers of Flavor
Julia Child once said, “It’s hard to imagine civilization without onions.” At the very least, it’s difficult to imagine soups, stews, casseroles or pizza without plenty of onions. The average Americans, who eats 21 pounds of onion each year, wouldn’t even want to think about it.
Approximately 87 percent of the 142,000 acres of onions planted in the US each year, is devoted to yellow onion production. Only 8 percent is red onions and 5 percent white onions. Onions are divided into two categories: spring/summer fresh onions and fall/winter storage onions.
Spring/summer fresh onions are in season from March through August. They have thin, light-colored skin and a higher water content, making them sweeter and milder than storage onions, ideal for salads and other fresh and lightly-cooked dishes. Fresh, sweet Vidalias, a spring/summer favorite, are grown in only twenty counties of Georgia. Vidalias were the first sweet onions to be promoted and distributed nationally, but Washington’s Walla Walla Sweets and California’s Sweet Imperials have developed an enthusiastic following.
Fall/winter storage onions, with multiple layers of thick, dark, papery skin, are available from August through April. Storage onions have an intense flavor, a higher percentage of solids and are the best choice for savory dishes, longer cooking times or more flavor.
Yellow onions are every cook’s reliable standby in cooking, but red onions are a good choice for fresh dishes and salads or in grilling and char-broiling. White onions are the traditional onion for Mexican cuisine and a favorite of cooks for their golden color and sweet flavor when sautéed.
Onions provide flavor but also health-romoting phytochemicals and nutrients. Onions contain quercetin, an antioxidant compound that helps in the elimination of free radicals and affects an important reaction in atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Studies show onion consumption may result in reduced risk of certain diseases, like gastric ulcers. The more pungent onions exhibit strong anti-platelet activity which could help reduce cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. A recent Swiss study suggests onion consumption has the potential to decrease osteoporosis. Several studies have shown quercetin has beneficial effects against cataracts and certain cancers. Plus, onions contain other chemical compounds linked to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Onions provide a healthy source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and folic acid with low sodium, no fat and about 30 calories per serving.
Onions were very likely a staple in prehistoric diets, but their tissues leave little trace, so there’s no exact conclusion about their origin. Opinions range from central Asia to Iran to West Pakistan. Most researchers agree they’ve been cultivated for at least 5000 years. Since they were transportable, less perishable than other foods of the time and easy to grow in a variety of soils and climates, onions may have been one of the earliest cultivated crops.
Onions grew in Chinese gardens at least 5000 years ago and in Egypt, where they were an object of worship, they can be traced to 3500 B.C. There is evidence Sumerians were growing onions in 2500 B.C., and a Sumerian text describes someone plowing over the city governor’s onion patch.
By the Middle Ages, beans, cabbage and onions were the three main vegetables of Europe. The Pilgrims brought onions on the Mayflower, but found wild onions already growing throughout North America and utilized extensively by Native American Indians.
The only complaint onions generate is the crying. When onions are sliced, broken cells allow enzymes to break down the onion’s sulfides which generates sulfenic acids that decompose into a volatile gas. The gas reaches the eyes, it reacts with water to form a dilute solution of sulfuric acid and tear glands produce tears to dilute and flush out the irritant.
Abundant water can prevent the gas from reaching the eye, so cut onions under running water or submerged in water. Rinsing the onion and leaving it wet while chopping may help. Chilling it for 30 minutes (or freezing) prevents the enzymes from activating, limiting the amount of gas generated. A sharper blade will limit cell damage and the enzyme release. Since the root end has the largest concentration of eye watering sulphuric compounds, cut off the top and peel the outer layers, leaving the root end intact or save it for last.
Chew fresh parsley for post-onion breath and rub lemon juice on the hands to remove the onion scent. High heat makes onions bitter, so sauté using low or medium heat. To reduce the sharp taste of raw onions, trim them and remove the skin. Slice or chop and drop into ice water for 1½ hours before draining or chop finely, place in a strainer and run water through onions for at least a minute. One medium onion equals about one cup chopped onion. Onions should be stored in a cool, dry, ventilated place-not the refrigerator and not in plastic bags since lack of air movement reduces their storage life.
Cooks all over the world would be lost without onions, the “lilies of the kitchen” whose recognizable fragrance is welcome all over the world. PL
Onion Pie
3 Cups sliced onions
2 TBSP butter
1 pound cottage cheese
¾ Cup heavy cream
1 9 inch pie crust
salt, pepper
cayenne, if desired
Sauté onions in butter until soft. Blend cottage cheese with cream and season to taste.
Pour into pie shell. Spread onions over cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Onion Casserole
1 lb. onions, sliced and separated
1 egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
¾ teaspoon salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ Cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Paprika
In medium saucepan combine onions with water to cover. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, combine egg, cream, salt and pepper; pour over onions.
Sprinkle with cheese, then paprika. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 6 servings.
Baked Onions
2 large yellow or white onions, peeled
2 TBSP Tomato Juice
1 ½ TBSP Honey
1 TBSP butter or margarine
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
Cut onions in half crosswise and place, cut side up, in a baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan on low until butter is melted; stir well. Pour over center of each onion half and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Barbi-Onion Casserole
4 large sliced extra-sweet onions
1 large bag barbecue potato chips
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Layer the above three ingredients. Repeat layers again. Combine two cans cream of chicken soup with one-half cup milk. Pour over layers and top with crushed chips. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Cheese Onion Casserole
2 tsp butter or margarine
5 medium onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 Cup packaged biscuit mix
1/8 tsp pepper
½ Cup shredded cheddar
Grease a 1½ quart casserole dish. In a large saucepan, melt the butter or margarine.
Add onions and cook, covered, over medium-low heat 10-15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir the 2 cups cheddar cheese, the biscuit mix, and pepper into the onion mixture. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
Sprinkle with /2 cup cheddar, if desired. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Beet Greens with Bacon and Onion
2 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cups fresh beet leaves
¾ Cup white wine
3 TBSP bacon bits
salt and fresh ground black pepper
Heat the oil on medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onion until translucent. Reduce heat to medium and add beet greens. Stir until greens are wilted and heated. Add white wine and bacon, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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