Onion

Season: 

  • Bulbed Onions – Winter, Spring
  • Green Onions – Year-Round

Storage: Once cured, onion bulbs can be stored long-term at room temperature. Keep green onions in the refrigerator contained in a jar with a small amount of water, or in a plastic bag wrapped in a damp paper towel.

Fun Facts: Did you know that we’ve been eating onions for over 7,000 years? Their ubiquitous presence in cuisines worldwide isn’t surprising, given how much flavor they bring to a dish. Although the sweet taste of a cooked bulbed onion makes it perfect for adding to recipe bases for soups and pasta, it can also play the role of the main character in dishes like French onion soup or even on grilled skewers. Green onions, on the other hand, are one of the most widely used ingredients in Chinese cooking and the principal onion used in Japanese cuisine. In Japanese cuisine, green onions are commonly added to noodle and tofu dishes, hot pots, and stir-fries. Green onions are also favored in Mexican cuisine as they can add a bright, fresh flavor to rice, beans, fish, and cheese. 

We’re not sure exactly where onions came from, but our guess is from West Pakistan, Central Asia, or Iran. They have played a unique historical role in many cultures. One of these remarkable roles is in Egyptian culture. In ancient Egypt, onions were worshiped. Their rings and spherical shape were a symbol for eternity. They would often create onion art in tombs, believing that it would help them reach success in the afterlife.

An Old English folklore states that if the outer layer of an onion’s skin is thick, harsh/severe winter is coming. In contrast, if the outer skin is thin, the winter will be mild.

Get your local PIF onions through our Farm Share or shopping at farmer’s markets, then share your favorite preparations through our Facebook page.

Crispy Fried Onion Rings

Recipe by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 large onion, very thinly sliced

  • Oil for deep-fat frying

Instructions

  • In a shallow bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients. Separate onion slices into rings. Dip rings into batter. In a deep-fat fryer, heat 1 in. oil to 375°. In batches, fry onion rings until golden brown, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

French Onion Soup

A recipe by once upon a chef

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 3 pounds sweet onions (about 5 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 6 cups beef broth

  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 small baguette, cut into 1/2-in slices

  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry

  • 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 2 heaping cups; look for one imported from Switzerland)

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

  • In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized 45 to 55 minutes. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions only occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.

  • Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.

  • Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

  • Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.

  • While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

  • When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it’s not quite sweet enough, add 1/4 teaspoon sugar.

  • Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks (be sure the soup is very hot as it won’t warm up much in the oven). Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and then Parmigiano Reggiano. Slide the crocks into the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving. (Alternatively, if using regular soup bowls: Top each toast slice with some cheese and return to broiler to melt, about 2 minutes more. Divide the soup among bowls and top each serving with two cheese toasts.)

Note: The soup can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Toasts can be made (without the cheese) and kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Sage and Onion Stuffing

A recipe from BBC Food

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

  • 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped

  • 80g/3oz fresh white breadcrumbs

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

  • Sweat the onion in the oil, until soft but not colored

  • Mix together the onion, sage and breadcrumbs and season well.

  • Add enough of the beaten egg to bind the mixture together and use to stuff meat or poultry or to roll into individual stuffing balls.

  • If making stuffing balls, cook in a roasting tin for 30 minutes.

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