Don't cry over cut onions!!! (Onions)

Member Name: oldchem

Product:	Onions
Date:	16/05/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Endless !! Savoury dishes wouldn't be the same without them.

Disadvantages: None what so ever!!

Can you imagine life without the humble onion?? A shepherd's pie, a curry, a casserole etc without onion doesn't bear thinking about and a cheese sandwich without raw onion - perish the thought !!

We tend to take the humble onion for granted but it has a long and distinctive history. Way back in time the Egyptians, in fact, worshipped the onion, thinking that it symbolised eternal life, many a dead Egyptian was buried with an onion as they believed that the smell of theonion would bring them back to life!! The athletes in Ancient Greek ate them in large quantities to aid their results and even the brave and mighty Roman gladiators were rubbed down with onion in to firm up their muscles.By the Middle Ages they were such an important food that they were used to pay for rent and were even given as gifts. In fact in Siberia they were still used as a form of currency up to the mid-18th Century. Despite the onion odour they are also thought of as an aphrodisiac, the ancient Greeks onions used themas an aphrodisiac remedy, the Egyptians Pharaohs celibate priests were not allowed to eat this humble vegetable because of the effects they could have on them., and in France newlyweds used to be served onion soup on the morning after their wedding night !!!

We have all heard the saying 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away', well the same can be said for the dear old onion!! Onions contain an antioxidant called Quercetin, which helps to fight off a variety of illnesses ranging from a cold to colon, prostate and breast cancer. They also contain Chromium which is natural remedy for PMS.

Surprisingly onions are part of the Lily family, the common onion's Latin name is Allium Cepa; in translation Allium means garlic and Cepa means onion, they are sown in March and April, and harvested in late August and September, they are a fantastiv vegetable as they have such a long store life and can be kept in controlled stores until the following July. USA, China, India and Russia are the main production areas of the onion, in fact 26% of all the world's onions are grown in China. In the UK we produce 450,000 tonnes of the vegetable over 23,000 acres, the main growing areas are Lincolnshire, East & West Anglia, Bedfordshire, Yorkshire and Kent.

All that said I think we al know about the taste of onions so here are some recipes that bring out their best.
Let's start with a good old fashioned onion gravy - delicious served over a plate of toad in the hole!

RICH ONION GRAVY
285ml water
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp plain flour
¼ teaspoon dried sage
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon gravy browning
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry until golden brown. Add the flour and sage to make a roux, cook for 3-4 minutes, gradually add the or water and keep stirring well to stop lumps forming. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes.Add the browning and season to taste.
Another dish I think of when I think of onions is Onion Bhajis

ONION BHAJIS
2 onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
A little salt, to taste
80g plain flour
1 egg yolk
25ml water
Mix the onions, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cumin, coriander, slat, flour and egg and water together. Let the batter rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat some oil in a large saucepan or use a deep fat fryer Take a tablespoon of the batter , squeezing out any excess liquid, t drop into the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway through. Will make about 12 - 15 bhajis.

Summary: So now you know your onions how about a nice cheese & onion butty!!!!!