Onions

This last week the Shriner’s were in Forsyth selling Vidalia onions and a friend of mine bought a bag and shared some with me. She told me that the men that were selling them told her to wrap each onion in a paper towel and store them in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator so they would last longer.
Another way to store onions is to place one in the leg of a panty hose and tie a knot and then place another onion in, tie a knot, etc. After you fill the hose hang them in a cool, dry, dark place. When ready to use just cut below the knot.
When buying onions you should look for a thin, light tan colored skin, which indicates they are milder then those with a dark brown skin.

Vidalia Onion Rings

1 Large Vidalia Sweet Onion
1/2 cup panko (Japanese style) bread crumbs, divided
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs, divided
3/4 cup egg substitute
salt and pepper (to your liking)
Preheat oven to 425. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or a Silpat mat). Mix half of the cornflake crumbs and bread crumbs together with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pour eggs in a separate shallow dish. Peel onion and slice in 1/2 inch rings, separate them. Dip each ring into the egg, and then coat with crumb mixture. As the crumb mixture starts to get moist in the dish, you\‘ll need to add the remainder of the divided crumbs. Layer breaded rings on cookie sheet, one layer thick. Spray lightly with cooking spray before placing in oven. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.

Baked Vidalia Onion

Potato Chip Casserole
6 Sweet Vidalia Onions (thinly sliced)
1/2 pound mild Cheddar cheese
1 (3 & 3/4-ounce) package potato chips (crushed)
Red pepper (taste)
2 (10 & 3/4-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
Undiluted 1/4 cup milk
Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Layer alternately in thin layers Vidalia Onions, cheese, potato chips and pepper. Combine soup and milk in bowl and blend well. Pour over ingredients in baking dish. Bake 1 hour in 350 degree oven.
How to Caramelize Onions
Quantities depend on how much caramelized onions you wish to make. In this example, 5 large raw onions yielded about 2 cups caramelized onions.
Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
Olive oil (1 t. per onion)
Butter (optional) (1 t. per onion)
Salt
Sugar (optional)
1. Slice off the root and top ends of the onions, peel the onions. Cut the onions in half. Lay them cut side down and slice the onions lengthwise to desired thickness. If you want, you can cut a little wedge in the tough rootball end of the onions and discard that part, but we haven’t found this to be necessary, as this part of the onion softens and cooks with the rest over the long cooking time.
2. Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum pan contact with the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter (about 1 teaspoon per onion). Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. (I add only about a teaspoon of sugar for 5 onions, you can add more.)
3. Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. The trick is to let them alone enough to brown (if you stir them too often, they won’t brown), but not so long so that they burn. After the first 20 to 30 minutes you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning. A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find you need to scrape the pan every minute, instead of every few minutes. Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the cooking process you might want to add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring some additional flavor to the onions.
Store refrigerated for several days in an air-tight container.

Slow Roasted Vidalia® Onion Soup

6 medium Vidalia or other sweet onions, outer layers removed
1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 quarts chicken stock or canned broth, low sodium
1 cup sweet sherry
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh chives for garnish
Wrap each onion separately in aluminum foil and place in a 300 degree oven (or in the coals of a fireplace or grill pit) until onions feel tender all the way through, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Heat oil in a large pot. Add leek and celery; cook until softened but not browned. Remove onions from foil, quarter and add to pot. Add chicken stock and sherry. Simmer about 45 minutes. Stir in cream and thyme. Remove from heat.
In batches, puree mixture in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each serving with chives and serve.

20-Minute Stove-Top Sweet Onion Garlic Marmalade

Cut 2 large sweet onions into thin slices, place in medium sauté pan and add 6 large finely minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and one-quarter cup plus 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar. Cook on medium heat 10 minutes, stirring often. Turn heat to high, boil until onions absorb the liquid, about 10 minutes. Cool. Store in refrigerator.
Makes 3 cups.

Blooming Onion

4 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions
Batter:
1/3 Cup Cornstarch
1 1/2 Cup Flour
2 tsp. Garlic −− minced
2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
24 oz. Beer
Seasoned Flour:
2 Cup Flour
4 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1. Mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended.
2. Add beer, mix well.
3. Cut about 3/4” off top of onion and peel. Cut onion into 12 to 16 vertical wedges, but do not cut through bottom root end. Remove about 1” of petals from center of onion.
4. Dip onion in seasoned flour and remove excess by shaking.
5. Separate petals and dip in batter to coat thoroughly.
6. Gently place in fryer basket and deep−fry at 375 to 400 1 1/2 minutes. Turn over, and fry an additional 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Drain on paper towels.
8. Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with circular cutter or apple corer.
Serve hot with Creamy Chili Sauce.

Creamy Chili Sauce

1 pint Mayonnaise
1 pint Sour cream
1/2 Cup Chili sauce
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper Print this post