Vidalia (or other sweet) Onions

[SethG]

I just bought a big bag of Vidalias. We put some in tuna salad for lunch, and I've got some Vidalia wedges roasting in a pan with a chicken right now.

I want to get the most out of these sweet things. Tell me what you like to do with them.

(There are numerous Vidalia mentions on eGullet but I have found no thread devoted to the subject.)

Also: I saw a cooking contest show recently that was taped in the south. And on the show a few different folks pronounced it "Vie-day-lee-aah." I had always assumed it was "Vih-dah-lee-aah." Given that the onion is grown in Georgia I'm inclined to believe the southerners on the cookoff show were right. How do you pronounce it?

[hannnah]

Vi-dale-yah. (i as in pie, a as in sale)

I'd do exactly what you're doing - they roast/bake wonderfully well, and they're great raw. I wouldn't try to make French onion soup with them; they don't come out right when they're caramelized - I assume because of the higher water content. Light sauteing seems to work though - I've subbed them for shallots in the Julia and Jacques sauteed green beans with tasty results.

[tanabutler]

Make sure the second syllable gets the emphasis, and that it's all drawn out. Now you're drawlin', sugah!

[Malawry]

I don't believe in cooking Vidalias. They lose their sweetness cooked. If I was going to cook them, I'd try to cook them in a way that they didn't cook all the way through. My Vidalia hushpuppies are one good example of this...the heat of the cooked batter isn't enough to cook the onions through, so they can be tasted still. And I'd lightly kiss Vidalias on the grill...enough to get marks, not enough to be completely softened.

Raw uses:

Thick slice on a burger

On a tomato sammich

As a cocktail sammich, with herbed butter and crunchy salt

Teeny-tiny brunoise in chicken or tuna salad...best if mixed with similar brunoise of red onion for color-flavor effect

I've consumed Vidalia onion relishes that were terrific, and I keep meaning to try one this year.

[scott123]

I don't believe in cooking Vidalias.

I agree 1000%. I judge the potency of onions by how much they make me cry when I'm cutting them. No tears = little to no flavor when cooked. Sweet onions never make cry.

Great raw in salads but not that great when cooked. And for me, personally, there is nothing worse on this planet than a partially cooked onion. Cooked or raw. If they're in between I avoid them like the plague.

[GG Mora]

And for me, personally, there is nothing worse on this planet than a partially cooked onion. Cooked or raw. If they're in between I avoid them like the plague.

And I agree with THAT 1000%. I've always assumed it was my own private idiosyncrasy...now you've got me wondering. My mother always tucked largish pieces of onion into her meatloaf & it (the onion) never cooked thoroughly. Gross.

Back on topic – Vidalias make an excellent slaw. Grate/shred them and use as you would cabbage to make slaw. Also fine added to cabbage slaw.

[scott123]

My mother always tucked largish pieces of onion into her meatloaf & it (the onion) never cooked thoroughly. Gross.

Preaching to the choir!!

My mother did the exact same thing. *shuddering* Nowadays I make my own meatloaf and believe me, those onions get plenty of pre-cooking.

[enrevanche]

I often stuff warm pita bread with scrambled eggs, and add a big thick slice of raw Vidalia onion. For breakfast. Yes, I know I'm weird. But it's really pretty good.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Vidalia recipes

One can't live in Atlanta and not be thrilled when the very first Vidalia onions appear on our produce aisles!

I make some of the recipes here once the season is in full bloom (not the popular "Bloomin' Onion" offered at Outback!)...

The sweet onion pie is exceptionally fine use of the onions as is the Vidalia onion pie. and then there is this recipe Sweet Onion Relish which is for all lovers of onions in their fresh state.

[Cynthia G]

I often stuff warm pita bread with scrambled eggs, and add a big thick slice of raw Vidalia onion. For breakfast. Yes, I know I'm weird.

Simply a modified breakfast burrito... nothing at all weird about that.... leastways not here in New Mexico! If you are a carnivore, I'd suggest adding some breakfast sausage or chorizo in there.... both go really well with the onion.

[JAZ]

I love thin sliced cucumbers and sweet onions, dressed with rice vinegar, and seasoned with fresh dill or mint. (I salt the cucumbers first, but it's not necessary if you're in a hurry). A pinch of pepper flakes adds a great touch too.

[SethG]

I am aware of the inverse relationship between onion sweetness when raw and sweetness when cooked. However, I gotta tell you that the Vidalias I roasted last night were tremendous!

When I roast a chicken, I usually wedge up some onion and some fennel and toss the wedges into the skillet in which I cook the chicken. If I turn the wedges over halfway through, the edges get caramelized with chicken fat, and the rest of the onions, while cooked through, are dried out a little but not usually browned. (I roast them for about an hour and ten or fifteen at 400 degrees.)

So I'm familiar with how standard yellow onions react to this treatment-- they react very well! But I think the Vidalias were, if anything, even better. The aroma was really great and I thought the flavor remained quite sweet. My wife and I just gobbled them up. I can't explain it. Maybe because the onions really don't end up cooked that much? I certainly wouldn't try to completely caramelize them. But I don't think I can agree that cooking Vidalias at all is a mistake.

[andiesenji]

I love thin sliced cucumbers and sweet onions, dressed with rice vinegar, and seasoned with fresh dill or mint. (I salt the cucumbers first, but it's not necessary if you're in a hurry). A pinch of pepper flakes adds a great touch too.

To my taste, the Vidalia is perfect for the gurkensalat I have been making for 50-some years.

Originally it was Bermuda onions but in California markets those seem to have gone the way of the Dodo.

I just bought a bag of Vidalias at CostCo and they are lovely.

I saw the segment on Vidalias on TV and like the young woman who bit into one, I can eat them raw.

My first tomato from the garden is ripe enough to eat, so, I have sliced it and am applying it and slices of a Vidalia to a slice of sourdough just now cool enough to cut and spread with a thin layer of sour cream.

[blueapron]

This is a great question for the upcoming Q&A with Alton Brown!!

He is a Georgia boy and understands the onion very well.I believe he did either a whole show or segement on Good Eats about them.

To me they are best eatin raw- roasting or carmalizing seems like a waste because they both cook off a good amount of the natural sugars that are so unique to Vidalias.

I tried to grow some my self- I even brought back some of the soil because that is what I thought made them so special-but they were not as sweet.

[ned]

My favorite time to eat vidalias is when there are no walla walla sweets around.

[Mabelline]

Oh yeah, tomato and onion sammiches on thickly sliced fresh bread.Liberal pepper, judicious salt. Hog heaven with some bacon. Blow BLT's out of the galaxy!!

Edited May 17, 2004 by Mabelline (log)

[NulloModo]

They also go wonderfully with that piece of produce for which GA is reknown, the peach.

Stew some sweet GA peaches (no extra sugar really needed unless you have a strong sweet tooth), and then pour into a serving bowl, toss in some super finely diced vidalia onions (so that the ambient heat from the peaches will just barely soften the onions), stir up, and serve over biscuits.

[Basilgirl]

Beer battered

[ianeccleston]

Onion sandwiches with mayonaise. From what I hear, one of James Beard's specialties.

Ian

[Gifted Gourmet]

This is a great question for the upcoming Q&A with Alton Brown!!

He is a Georgia boy and understands the onion very well.I believe he did either a whole show or segement on Good Eats about them.

Absolutely agree, blueapron! Alton will add to our knowledge base on any number of questions we ask of him.

Also agree on the sliced Vidalias with mayonnaise, ianeccleston,

which Beard mentioned. I have made something similar when the Vidalia season begins.

[eunny jang]

Onion sandwiches with mayonaise. From what I hear, one of James Beard's specialties.

Ian

I like this with white onion, irresponsible amounts of mayonnaise, parsely, salt and big chunks of cracked pepper. I think vidalias might be too sweet to justify enormous gobs of mayonnaise, and thus not a good choice.

make pickles with those vidalias!!

[piperdown]

I've always just cut the tops off, hollowed the center, and poured balsamic vinegar in the hole. Add a little salt and pepper, wrap in foil, then place on a grill till done. Easy, yet tasty. Some of the others sound good though, so maybe I'll try them out soon too.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Barbecued Vidalia onion recipe

which I found in BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen

Edited May 18, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Mild Bill]

Vy daya... is the way they pronounce it...

I promise...

[blueapron]

They who?