Ode to the onion
An onion is often used as a metaphor for a person, relationship or life.
What do you find when you peel away all of those layers?
Unlike an artichoke, whose rows of leaves reveal a protective choke harboring a velvety heart, an onion offers nothing but the same slippery, thin skin. It’s shallow throughout – and heartless.
I prefer to think of an onion this way: What you see is what you get – pungent, eye-irritating, ubiquitous – and making no bones about it.
Red, yellow, green or white, the fibrous bulbs provide depth to dishes around the world.
They star, of course, in French onion soup. They also adorn shish kababs, give bite to burgers and unite us – through curries, stir-fries, tagines, dals, dips, risottos, tomato and other sauces, salsas, savory tarts, frittatas.
While not as potent as garlic, onions belong to the same family – along with leeks, chives, scallions and shallots. They pair well with red and white meat as well as fish.
Onions can also be pickled and roasted and eaten raw. Their distinctive and lingering sulfurous smell and taste is mellowed and enriched by caramelization.
They’re a good source of fiber, folate and vitamins B6 and C. Onions are low in calories, too – that is, unless they are battered and deep fried.
Generally inexpensive, onions – along with potatoes and cabbage – are longtime staples of the humble table. In his poem, “Ode to the Onion,” Pablo Neruda referred to the root vegetable as a “round rose of water upon the table of the poor.”
The last several lines read: “You make us cry without hurting us. … you are more beautiful than a bird of dazzling feathers … and the fragrance of the earth lives in your crystalline nature.”
Find that fragrance in the following onion-centric recipes.
Stuffed Baked Onions
From “Joy of Kosher” by Jamie Geller
1 recipe Cranberry Chestnut Stuffing (see recipe below)
5 medium red onions
5 medium yellow onions
Trim the bottoms of the onions so they can stand upright. Trim about ½ inch from the top and scoop out all but 2 or 3 layers from the inside using a melon baller or small paring knife. Bake the onions at 440 degrees, covered, in a baking dish with ½ inch water for 30 minutes.
While the onions are baking, prepare the stuffing. When the onions are done, pour out the water from the pan, then lightly spray it with cooking spray. Fill each onion with about 3 heaping tablespoons of stuffing, mounding it on top a bit. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake, uncovered, until heated through and golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes.
While the onions are baking, spoon the remaining stuffing into a greased casserole dish. Cover and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
After the stuffing has been cooked and cooled, you can freeze it in a tightly sealed container. To serve, thaw and bring to room temperature before warming in a 350-degree onion for about 20 minutes. If you want to prepare only enough stuffing for the 10 onions, quarter the main stuffing recipe.
Cranberry Chestnut Challah Stuffing
From “Joy of Kosher” by Jamie Geller
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup roasted and peeled chestnuts, quartered
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
8 cups 1/2-inch cubes white or whole wheat challah
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and celery until softened and the onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chestnuts, cranberries, sage and parsley, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the challah, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until lightly browned, 10 minutes more.
French Onion Soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds yellow onions, sliced 1/4-inch into half circles
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
3 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small French baguette, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater, about 3 cups
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot on medium-low heat. Add onions. Spread them out in as thin a layer as possible. Sprinkle with sugar and cook, stirring just as needed to keep onions from sticking, until they are melting and soft, golden brown and beginning to caramelize, about 1 hour.
Sprinkle flour over onions and stir to coat. Add sherry, stock and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, lightly toast bread under a broiler; set aside. Ladle hot soup into six oven-proof bowls. Arrange the bowls on a baking pan. Place 1 or 2 slices of toasted bread over each bowl of soup. Sprinkle ½ cup grated cheese over bread in each bowl, and place under the broiler until cheese is melted and crusty brown around the edges. Watch carefully that bread doesn’t burn. Serve immediately.
Best Ever Onion Rings
From the National Onion Association at www.onions-usa.org
3 large onions (about 9 to 11 ounces each), peeled and trimmed
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup nonalcoholic or regular beer
Vegetable oil
Cut onions crosswise into 1/2-inch slices; pull apart into rings. (Refrigerate broken or end pieces for other uses.) Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper in large bowl. Stir in beer, beating with wire whisk until foam is gone.
Baked version: Toss onion rings in batter. Transfer to plate, letting excess drip off as you transfer. Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place about half the onion rings in single layer in heated skillet, cook until browned, turning once, about 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Repeat with remaining onions. Transfer to ungreased shallow baking pans or cookie sheets, arranging in single layer. Bake at 425 degrees for 6 minutes, or until crisp.
Deep-fried version: Heat at least 2 inches oil in deep-fryer for 5 to 10 minutes or according to fryer directions. (If fryer has a temperature adjustment, set it at 375 degrees and heat until light goes out.) Drop batter-coated onion rings into hot oil (about 10 to 20 at a time). Fry 2 to 4 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Variation: Add 2 teaspoons each of dried thyme, chili powder and ground cumin to batter. After baking or frying, sprinkle crispy rings with additional chili powder, ground cumin or bottled pepper blends, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings