Gryphon's Aeire Food Fact - Pungent And Sweet Onions Are All-stars

Pungent and sweet, onions are all-stars

Dan Kislenko
The Hamilton Spectator
Feb. 6, 2002

The ancient Egyptians used it as a tribute to their gods. The old 
Gauls a few thousand years later thought they could predict how harsh 
a winter would be by the thickness of its skin. And in Russia, where 
they know something about cold and snow, there's a legend that if you 
eat one a day you won't get sick -- though you may not have many 
friends. "It" in all these cases is the onion.

Today we think of the onion and related plants merely as a valuable 
supporting characters in the kitchen, but rarely as the stars of the 
show. Known as a group as the alliums, they are root vegetables that 
impart layers of flavour and aroma to any dish.

Part of their appeal is their unmistakable pungency, and the way they 
sweeten when cooked. They're so good, it makes you want to cry (it's 
actually trace amounts of caustic acid in the juice that cause us to 
tear up when slicing an onion).

Alliums have been a part of the human diet wherever they grow from 
the start of recorded history, and have been cultivated as a staple 
along Mediterranean shores for something like 5,000 years.

While the family is quite large from a scientific point of view, 
today we're going to slim down the list for culinary purposes to 
onions, shallots, scallions and leeks.

All fall into one of two main categories. There are fresh onions, 
those that appear in spring and summer, are sweet and mild, and are 
high in water and sugar content. They have a shelf life of just a few 
days and must be used up quickly. Then there are storage onions, 
familiar in fall and winter, with much stronger taste and smell. As 
the name suggests, however, they can be kept for long periods of time 
in cool, dry, well-ventilated conditions.

Within those two groups you'll find yellow, red and white variations, 
ranging in size from the size of an olive up to an all-time record of 
more than 11 pounds (five kilograms).

Here's a quick survey of what's what: * Onions: There are many 
different kinds here, all widely available. The standard yellow or 
cooking onion should be firm, dry and smooth, and feel heavy for its 
size. Its papery outer skin should be crisp, and its neck tight and 
small. The flesh is quite dry and hot to the taste, though the heat 
disappears with cooking.

White or salad onions are generally larger and juicier, with a more 
mild flavour. Spanish onions stand out because they are round (not 
oblong) and large. Their flesh is crisp, juicy and sweet, but that 
also means perishable, so they don't store well. Red onions are in 
the same boat.

As for nutrition, onions are fat free, low in calories and high in 
fibre (believe it or not, they have double the fibre of most 
legumes). They're also brimming with Vitamin B, phosphorus and 
potassium.

* Shallots: Twenty years ago, nobody outside of restaurants had ever 
heard of them. Today they're everywhere, and thank goodness. Think of 
the shallot as an elegant onion, one that doesn't give you bad breath 
and doesn't produce the "stink" or characteristic cooking smell of 
its cousin. It has a mild, subtle and refined flavour that highlights 
the taste of other ingredients around it.

Look for shallots that are firm, heavy, dry skinned and show no 
evidence of sprouting. They'll keep up to two weeks in the 
refrigerator.

* Scallions: Also known as green onions, they are mild plants of 
Siberian origin, marked by not having a bulb as such. They are quite 
different from bulb onions, which are actually baby white onions 
harvested with their green leaves. Scallions should be sweet and 
pleasant smelling, crisp along their entire length, and evenly green.

They must be used quickly, but will keep for a few days in the crisper.

* Leeks: Some experts think they don't belong in a class with onions, 
but we'll do it anyway. They're large and coarse-fleshed, slightly 
bitter in flavour, and need cooking. Because the heavy green leaves 
are very tough and sour, only the white part is normally eaten 
(though don't hesitate to use the greens when making soup stock).

Look for leeks that are straight and firm, free of cracks or any 
discolouration.

Pay particular attention to cleaning the leek, because it is very 
sandy inside. Cut the leek where the white turns to green, then slice 
it in half along its length. Peel the layers apart as you wash the 
flesh well under cold running water. Leeks keep well for a couple of 
weeks in the refrigerator, but ironically spoil very quickly once 
cooked.


Displayed on: Thursday - 24 May 12 - 05:31:34