Onions as the Main Event

[Knicke]

As with many meals, the preparation of last night's dinner began with sauteed onions. While hovering over the skillet and inhaling the familiar odor, I began thinking about both how ubiquitous and under-appreciated these sulfurous bulbs are. They're everywhere, and they're vital, but rarely are they showcased - aside from the glories of onion soup and onion confit (which have been thoroughly discussed already!).

I know creamed onions show up a lot on Thanksgiving tables - I have to confess I've never had them! Do you make these? Do you do anything special to them? What's so great about them (if anything)?

I'd really like to try baked onions sometime - I love the idea of cooking a whole (or a half) the same way you might another vegetable. I know that sweet onions are best raw, so I won't use those, but what kind SHOULD I use? Any recipe reccommendations?

What are your thoughts on onions as the main event (in a side dish, that is)?

[eunny jang]

Stuffed - trim cipollinis to sit flat, remove the inner rings to leave a 3/4" wall, and fill with any starch-based stuffing you like. Bake, brushing with butter. Man, oh man.

[jackal10]

Roast or caramelised (with the potatoes, as a side dish

Onion ice cream

Pickled

[Gifted Gourmet]

I make a Polish sausage stuffed onion that receives rave reviews every Thanksgiving!

[C_Ruark]

As with many meals, the preparation of last night's dinner began with sauteed onions. While hovering over the skillet and inhaling the familiar odor, I began thinking about both how ubiquitous and under-appreciated these sulfurous bulbs are. They're everywhere, and they're vital, but rarely are they showcased - aside from the glories of onion soup and onion confit (which have been thoroughly discussed already!).

I know creamed onions show up a lot on Thanksgiving tables - I have to confess I've never had them! Do you make these? Do you do anything special to them? What's so great about them (if anything)?

I'd really like to try baked onions sometime - I love the idea of cooking a whole (or a half) the same way you might another vegetable. I know that sweet onions are best raw, so I won't use those, but what kind SHOULD I use? Any recipe reccommendations?

What are your thoughts on onions as the main event (in a side dish, that is)?

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Hi Knicke,

Try using onions as a container... for Turkey-day, I'll be using them to serve stuffing, but just about any filling that won't give off a lot of liquid will do. The prep is easy...

For any number of medium-sized onions (any variety that will match the filliing)

Equipment:

1 paring knife

1 teaspoon

1 pot of boiling salted water

Oven

Plate lined with paper towels.

Method:

1. Wash and peel off skin

2. Cut a small bit off the bottomso to allow the onion to stand upright (don't cut too much)

3. Cut the top off and reserve for another use.

4. Starting with a small knife at the center, begin cutting away the onion flesh to open up a cavity. Reserve unused onion.

5. Use a teaspoon to carefully carve out all but the outer layers of the onion (leave about 1/4" or so). Reserve onion centers for other use.

6. Place in boiling water for 5 minutes.

7. Remove to plate and let cool.

The onions are ready to be filled and baked (350 to 400 deg is what I use routinely).

Great topic! I'm sure more will write in with their alternatives.

Regards from DC,

- CSR

Edited November 15, 2004 by C_Ruark (log)

[Carrot Top]

Once you have had Cippoline Agrodolce you will never go back to creamed onions.

[ruthcooks]

My son's fiancee #2 (he finally got married to #3) requested creamed onions one Thanksgiving. Not being too impressed with that dish, I substituted this wonderful onion casserole. She approved.

Onions au Gratin

4 lbs. onions, peeled and roughly cut up

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped fairly fine

2 cups Bechamel, seasoned with

salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste

4 T. butter

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (you could use dry, I suppose

Cook onions in plenty of boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and chop.

Mix onions with eggs, Bechamel and seasonings. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Place in shallow buttered or sprayed casserole dish, such as a 9 x 11.

Melt butter in saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat until crumbs barely begin to take on color. Sprinkle over casserole contents.

Bake until brown and bubbly at 375 degrees, about 25-30 minutes. If you make ahead and refrigerate, bake before serving for up to an hour.

For bechamel (I think this is more of a sauce Supreme, but the original called it bechamel) use 4 T. each butter and flour and 1 C. each good chicken stock and light cream, plus the seasonings mentioned above.

NOTE: This casserole is excellent with any roast beef. I generally do half onion and half green beans for my picky family.

[Jaymes]

I'd really like to try baked onions sometime - I love the idea of cooking a whole (or a half) the same way you might another vegetable. I know that sweet onions are best raw, so I won't use those, but what kind SHOULD I use? Any recipe reccommendations?

I have been doing this for years and years, and have used every single kind of onion.

Take one good-sized whole onion per person. Peel, and cut off the top and bottom. Put it on a square of aluminum foil, one onion per square. Put a nice, generous slice of butter on top, and kinda mash it a little so that it doesn't just slide off. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal the thing up and put it in the oven.

Now, I've cooked them at everything from 200 to 400, from an hour just until done, to several hours when they get really nice and brown and caramelly. I've cooked sweet ones and yellow ones and white ones and purple ones. I throw them into the oven with a roast, or turkey, or white potatoes or sweet potatoes or nothing but the onions. I have put them outside on the grill, and nestled them down into campfires.

You simply cannot screw this up, unless you just don't cook them long enough.

To serve, you simply open up your packets and add a little more butter and salt and pepper to taste, if you wish. I often fix these instead of a baked potato.

They are absolutely sublime.

Edited November 16, 2004 by Jaymes (log)

[kangarool]

I make a Polish sausage stuffed onion that receives rave reviews every Thanksgiving!

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Any details, Gifted? Sounds very much like it would go over well in my house... thanks/Kanga

[fiftydollars]

I really hope nobody brings up Onion Confit...

Edited November 16, 2004 by fiftydollars (log)

[Behemoth]

Once you have had Cippoline Agrodolce you will never go back to creamed onions.

←

Karen, how do you do your agrodolce? Vinegar and...? I could use a new recipe.

I love all the penelope casas onion tapas. Also, I sometimes roast cippolinis & fill with a lentil & goat cheese mixture. Great for vegetarians on thanksgiving.

[AmyDaniel]

Published in the NYTimes a few years ago, I think, was Diane Kochilas' recipe of tagliatelle with caramelized onions, strained sheep's milk yogurt, and grated aged sheep's milk cheese: the best part was smelling the onions (lots and lots and lots of onion) as they slowly cooked with lots of olive oil. Needless to say. this was a v. popular dish among the people.

My sister will caramelize lots of onions and then bake them, along with the olive oil from cooking, in Brie en croûte - also popular among the people!

Amy

[M. Lucia]

Ooo, ooo! I love onions.

For cippoline agrodolce I peel the onions by blanching, then I boil them in some stock with a few tablespoons of vinegar and a pinch of sugar and salt for about 15 minutes. Then I add a few more tablespoons balsamic and a pat of butter. Let simmer until syruppy, about 20 more mins. My friend adds a bunch of stuff to this (fruits, nuts, herbs) and currants make a great addition.

I also like to saute some whole shallots in some olive oil, then pop them into a hot oven to roast. While they are pan roasting get some baby spinach or arugula ready. Take out the onions and put them over the greens, use the remaining oil in the pan as a dressing (add some herbs or vinegar if desired). Then shave some parmesan or aged gruyere or boerenkass over. (the hot shallots wilt the greens and kinda melt the cheese, yum)

Also, thickly slice a bunch of vidalias, saute in olive oil until browned, deglaze with some white wine, add a bit of stock, and simmer until soft and syrupy.

And you can slice them in half and roast them, and I haven't even gotten into stuffing.

[Carrot Top]

M. Lucia, it sounds like Onion Heaven at your house.

Behemoth...I am rather casual about cippoline agrodolce. Often I omit the blanching part (for easier peeling) and just peel with a very sharp little knife.

Then they are popped into a saute pan with a knob of sweet butter, a sprinkling of salt, a generous grind of black pepper and some fresh minced thyme if it is available...otherwise a small pinch of dried thyme. Pour beef stock over to barely cover, add sugar and balsamic vinegar (about 2 tsp. sugar and 2 T vinegar per cup of stock) and simmer away on medium heat till the stock boils off, then lower the heat and let the onions caramelize nicely.

Sometimes a bay leaf is a nice addition for a stronger flavor, and sometimes raisins...but I like them best, 'straight up'.

These things are truly addictive.

That lentil and goat cheese thing sounds dangerous, too...

[edsel]

I know creamed onions show up a lot on Thanksgiving tables - I have to confess I've never had them! Do you make these? Do you do anything special to them? What's so great about them (if anything)?

←

There's a definite "comfort food" factor to creamed onions.

This year I'll be joining a dear friend (from our college days) for Thanksgiving. I'm sure there will be a huge variety of foods there - it's a semi-potluck affair, and the various friends and family are adventurous in the culinary realm. One dish I guarantee we'll be having is creamed pearl onions...

...My friend absolutely can't do Thankgiving without them. Her mother and grandmother always included them in the holiday meal. There's nothing fancy here - just blanch the onions briefly, peel them, and douse them in a basic béchamel. Don't get too elaborate with the seasonings. A pinch of white pepper and a grating of nutmeg will do nicely. Enriching the béchamel with cream and/or butter can't hurt. Toss in a buttered casserole, top with bread crumbs, and bake until bubbly.

The onions take on a nutty flavor and a subtle sweetness. Not the "ultimate" onion dish by any means, but I can understand how it could become a "tradition". If you've never had creamed onions, try the creamed pearl onions and keep it simple. Sometimes the simple foods are just fine.

[Jason Perlow]

A French bistro classic -- Soupe Le Oignon Gratinee served in a crock with melted Gruyere cheese under the broiler. Word.

[misgabi]

My husband loves his onions beyond any other vegetable:

Roasted - just tossed into the pan with the potatoes. OR buy the really small onions and peel and roast by themselves with EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

Sausages, Mash and Brown Onion Gravy

Or straight from the cupboard and eaten like an apple with a sprinkle of sea salt if I tell him that's gross he makes a raw onion sandwich with 2cm thick onion slices and extra salt

He also greatly enjoyed the onion confit I tried after the huge discussion here - and it gave us another use for the slow cooker.

[Kim WB]

My son's fiancee #2 (he finally got married to #3) requested creamed onions one Thanksgiving. Not being too impressed with that dish, I substituted this wonderful onion casserole. She approved.

Nah, she just SAID she approved, that's what I told my MIL too! that was years ago, now I host T-day and the onions are creamed. Properly creamed!

[chezcherie]

i peel the little pearl ones ( a mix of yellow, white and red), and simmer them until glazed in hard cider (pear is my current fave). finish with a bit of butter and a splash of balsamic vinegar. they look like jewels.

[Knicke]

Sweet! Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions; you've confirmed that I need to give onions their day in the sun.

Now I've just gotta find some cippolines...

[hjshorter]

i peel the little pearl ones ( a mix of yellow, white and red), and simmer them until glazed in hard cider (pear is my current fave). finish with a bit of butter and a splash of balsamic vinegar. they look like jewels.

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That sounds great.

I caramelize the little pearl ones in butter and add a light cream sauce. Even those who don't like onions like them.

[fifi]

Having done just about everything I can think of to onions, stuffed, baked in foil (a favorite 'cause it's so easy), confit...

My absolute favorite is a gratin... In a heavy gratin pan (I use a Le Creuset cast iron, not the crockery) layer 1/4 inch thick slices of onion, one layer overlapping the slices by about 1/3 both vertically and horizontally. Add salt, pepper, maybe a bit of nutmeg or some herbs of your choice. Pour on some heavy cream. Put it on the lower rack of the oven at 325F. How long it takes depends a lot on how much water is in the onions which is quite variable. (Oh... Don't use sweet onions for this.) What happens is the cream "breaks" into butter and milk solids. There is a nice caramelized crust. This is at least as good as potatoes dauphinois.

My other favorite is thinly sliced sweet onion on a good soft white bread and a lot of mayo.

Oh... as a condiment for tacos and such... Slice red onion paper thin. Marinate in freshly squeezed lime juice, s&p.

[ruthcooks]

With all due respect Kim WB, you didn't know the girl and you ain't tasted the dish!

[Jinmyo]

A French bistro classic -- Soupe Le Oignon Gratinee served in a crock with melted Gruyere cheese under the broiler. Word.

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Word up, dog.

A small bowl of caramelized onions with lardons as a nest for poached egg with crostini.

Of course roasted with balsamic.

Two words:

Onion bhaji.

[frdagaa]

My new fave is grilled onions. ~Half inch slices on the grill, nicely charred. Love it.

One of my most memorable food moments was an amuse bouche at Seeger's in Atlanta... a very simple one or two-bite onion tart. Nothing fancy, just incredibly well done, and baked with a single cumin seed on top. The hint of cumin with the rich, slightly sweet onions was fantastic.