I’ve got a nice 10# bag of Vidalia onions in my kitchen, courtesy our varsity soccer team’s fundraiser. (We cleared $1500 selling onions. Who’da thunk?? :eek:) Now, I know some standard things I’m going to do with them (there are gonna be some killer O-rings!), and I have a nice quiche recipe using onions and cheese.
But I need some inspirations. So, please, bring on the ideas!! (and the recipes ).
I got this off the Dope the last time I asked for recipes:
1 Vidalia Onion
1 Beef Bullion cube
Butter
Peel the onion and cut twice to form a cross about halfway through the onion. Spread the onion out and jam the beef bullion cube down in the center. Slather butter in the cuts and wrap the whole thing in tinfoil. Then bake in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Tip the resulting buttery beefy goodness into a bowl for a sort of beef onion stew.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of them, either, but a free 10# bag of onions, is a free 10# bag of onions. I’d make caramelize them and make French onion soup (although they’re a bit too mild, in my opinion, for this soup) out of them, or as a burger topping. Otherwise, when I use Vidalias, they tend to be for salads or in other places where I want a very light, unobtrusive onion flavor.
Chop an onion roughly. Cut a firm apple (Granny Smith? Fuji?) into wedges. Cook the onion and apple in butter, maybe with a few raisins. Good served with pork.
1 head of cabbage quartered and cored
1 Large Vidalia onion peeled cut into 4 thick slices
4 tbsp. Seasoned Salt (Lawry’s)
4 tsp. pepper
1 Stick of Butter cut into four pieces
Aluminium foil
Lay a wedge of cabbage on a large square of foil, work the plat of butter on top, Stick the slice of onion to the top of the cabbage with the butter, sprinkle in the seasoning. Wrap the Cabbage and Vidalia in the foil and crimp and seal the packet. Place them on a low Barbecue for 1 and 1/2 to 2 - 2 1/2 hours with your ribs or chicken, or until tender and cooked through.
It’s a convenient side for that BBQ, instead of a potato.
(Optional: drizzle the final product with a bit of white BBQ Sauce.)
This might be somewhat like your onion quiche recipe. I got it from someone at work. I tried it with regular onions, and while it was good, it was very, very oniony and I decided to save it for Vidalia season.
Onion Pie
1 cup fine cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
Mix together and press into 8" pie plate
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
2 Tbsp. butter or more
Cook onions in butter on low heat to separate rings and heat through
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp. salt and dash of pepper
Place onions in pie shell—pour rest of ingredients over the top.
Top with shredded cheddar cheese—sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.
The recipe also notes that you “can fix this ahead”.
I’ve not tried that with a beef bullion cube before. Butter baked/roasted/BBQ’d onions are, of coruse, a staple thing (but I prefer butter baked garlic, truthfully). I hope Zsofia you found some Vidalias.
Ok, now THIS concept I will have to try for sure. I have some really nice basalmic vinegar I just got earlier this year as a present, and am always looking for new ways to use it. I can just taste the sweetness of the vinegar with the tart sweetness of the onion… mmmmmmm
This I will defer until BBQ season (which is not that far away!)
I think I’ll try this this week. This is indeed close to an onion quiche, and onion and egg are a very good combination.
Keep them recipes and ideas coming!!!
Here’s an easy one for an easy big batch of glazed/carmelized onions. You can freeze them flat in sandwich-size zippy bags (about 1 cup per bag.) Then, when you’re throwing together a quick meal, you can break off a chunk of luscious carmelized onion to toss in.
First, here’s a way to neatly & quickly chop a whole onion.
Cut off the top and bottom.
Stand it on one end, and cut the onion in half lengthwise.
It’s easier to pull the peel off the hemispheres.
Cut the half into quarters, but keep them together.
Looking sideways at the half-onion, picture ribs of a Chinese fan. That’s where you want your cuts. When you get halfway (vertical cut), turn it around and do the other 90 degrees.
Now, the cooking. Very simple. Put it all in a slow cooker with a stick of butter. After 4-6 hours on low, the onions will be brown. Taste 'em periodically. When you fall to your knees, they’re just right.
Spoon them into zippy bags. Cool in the refrigerator before freezing.
When you get to the bottom, oh, Mercy! You were planning to make a lovely stew tonight, weren’t you?
Although I love Vidalias, I would think they are generally unsuited for French Onion soup. That is a fairly robust set of flavors, with the Gruyere cheese and the beef base. You need a strong flavor and Vidalias are more tender flavored.
Vidalias
Cream of Chicken soup (fat-free is fine)
Grated Swiss cheese
Seasoned croutons for stuffing mix (i.e., not those huge greasy salad croutons in a box)
Slice a mess of Vidalias. A big mess, because they cook waaaaay down. Put them in a deep nuke/oven-safe dish. Nuke them for 5 minutes or so, until they are limp. Add the undiluted cream of chix soup and mix. Add most of the cheese and croutons, and use a spatula to cut them into the onion-soup mixture. Sprinkle the top w/ the remaining cheese and croutons. Bake at 350 until bubbly and browned on top.