The Onion, without the jokes

The onion is such a common ingredient in recipes, we probably take its ordinariness for granted.
We shouldn't because the onion is actually a nutritional powerhouse that can help power us from the heat of summer to the cold that's just ahead, and partly by heading off colds. That sharpness in the bulb was contributed by sulfur, the same sulfur that's a miracle drug to clean your lungs. Half a raw onion a day can reduce bad and raise beneficial cholesterol. Cooked onions are an anticoagulant, antibiotic, mild expectorant that cleans the lungs and a diabetic balancing aid.  They are thought to support bone density and connective tissue.  

So let's eat our onions. And let's save some for the months to come. Red (aka purple), white and yellow onions are at high tide right now in farmers' markets. Unwashed with their green tops cut off, these will stay healthy in your fridge a minimum of six weeks as long as they're not near potatoes. Onions can be saved for longer by pickling or cooking, cooking them into, say, onion soup that you can freeze. 

I prefer the sweeter red aka purple onions, especially when a recipe wants them raw in salad. If it's still warm, you can thinly slice them in a German cucumber salad, recipe in the book How to Fix a Leek... . No matter what the weather, you can enjoy them sliced into half rings in the fabulous American Fattoush salad, recipe posted on this blog May 2014 (Romaine, arugula, tomatoes, olives, feta, onion, mint and fried pita). In fact onions and mint make a wonderfully startling combination in any salad: chicken salad, Greek salad, the Nepali peanut salad recipe posted April 2014, my arugula salad with fresh dates, onion, mint, black plum, walnuts and salad turnips.

If you can get your hands on sweet white onions, slice them thinly into what I call Sandy's seaside submarine: a demi baguette with some of its insides pulled out so it can be filled with cream or goat or mascarpone cheese, fresh chives, freshly chopped dill, onions, capers, thinly sliced (lengthwise) cucumber, slices of smoked salmon, butter and topped with a bit of grated hard boiled egg and to really gild it, a touch of salmon caviar. But you really don't have to go that far for this to be absolutely delicious anyway.

Many European cultures have some version of onion pie. Many of them can be frozen for reheating in a hot oven--not a microwave which will uncrisp the crust. There's Alsatian flammekuche, the bacon onion "pizza" that's the forerunner of the original Quiche Lorraine: a cheese, bacon and onion tart. I've personally found flammekuche very hard to get right; quiche Lorraine is very easy and can stand a dash of chili if you want a little spark from it.  Pissaladiere is Provence's onion pizza, a rich tart of onions that have been caramelized from an hour's cooking and topped with salty anchovies and black olives. No cheese. Omitting those anchovies, not uncommon, makes this deliciously suitable for vegetarians. Since you can spread the dough into a large rectangular baking sheet, this is a perfect potluck or large party dish. I'm also about to test a British recipe for a pie of balsamic caramelized onions with feta. Stay tuned. 

If baking is not your thing, you can reread the post on cooking fish farmer's market style because you start with a thick bed of sauteed onions, probably the yellow ones.  Small white pearl onions are the other ingredient in France's famed beef bourguignon, a wonderfully warming but light fall and winter dish. You might also peel and core large yellow or white onions so you can stuff them with a mix of breadcrumbs, chopped black olives, pimento or your own chopped up roasted red pepper, thyme, oregano, freshly chopped parsley and sea salt. Splash with olive oil and bake covered in a pan lined with 1/4" water. at 350º until onions are soft, about 45 minutes. You can also microwave these in 5 minutes.

Then there are the creamed onions somebody brings to Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps an improvement on that is Onion Puree, here for 6:
2 lbs onions
1 cup water
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup heavy cream or creme fraiche
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp celery seed

Peel and slice onions very thin. Pile them into a large stainless or enamel (NOT aluminum) pot and add the water, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, celery seed, oil, salt and pepper. Over high heat, bring to a boil, stir, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 35 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle cornmeal evenly on top, then stir it in. Cover again and cook 15 more minutes, occasionally stirring. Once mixture is soft, whisk it into a puree. You can use an immersion blender if you prefer. Stir in the cream, bring the mixture almost to a boil and immediately remove from heat.  Serve immediately. It's a great foil for very spicy grilled meat or chicken. It's also perfect for a vegetarian platter with bitter greens and garlic, kidney bean chili and cornbread.