Onions

Assortment of onions - yellow, white and red, shallots, pearl and green.

I've been thinking for awhile about posting some kitchen basics.  Utensils and kitchen equipment were a possibility but settled on foods I can't be without.  On the top of my list is onions.  Most of my favorite dishes start with sauteing some onion....soup, curry, pasta sauce and hamburgers get topped with a large helping of sweet fried onions. They are versatile and can be eaten in every way imaginable from strong and raw all the way to golden brown, sticky, caramelized deliciousness. 

One of the major drawbacks in cutting onions is the burning and crying that results from the chemical allyl sulfate that is released.  Using a sharp knife helps but I have been known to wear my swimming goggles if I have a large number of onions to dice.  It looks weird but it doesn't sting! On the bright side the more allyl sulfate an onion contains the longer its shelf life.

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare most any vegetable, and onions are no exception. I tried these out and they were delicious.  However, I must warn you the oven temp is very high  and it caused a bit of a calamity when all of our smoke detectors went off.  I hope the tasty soup I'm going to make with these will make my husband happier than the alarms did.

These would be great served as an appetizer with Ranch dressing or a great addition to soup, pizza or pasta.

Roasted Onions

Roasted Onions

3-4 white onions, peeled

4 Tablespoons olive oil

*Preheat oven to 475 F

Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a 9 x 13 pan and coat the bottom and sides.

Cut the bottom off of the onions so they will stand upright.  Cut an X into the top without cutting all the way through.  Oil the outside of each onion.  

Roast for 30 minutes.  Check to see if there is still oil in the bottom of pan and drizzle the remaining oil in pan and onto onions.  Roast for 10-15 minutes more.  

They may be charred at the tips but just cut the blackened parts off.  

Onions ready to go into the oven.