The Onion Book - Rilegato

Roberts-Dominguez, Jan

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 038547735X ISBN 13: 9780385477352

Casa editrice: Doubleday, 1996

Riassunto

A comprehensive collection of more than 175 onion-primary recipes is grouped according to season and includes dishes that range from Early Summer Gazpacho and Garlic Pork Stew to Oven-Roasted Balsamic Onions and Carrot and Leek Tart.

Su questo libro

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It was at the ripe old age of twelve that I tackled my first onion quiche recipe.  This one was a spin-off from the traditional quiche Lorraine in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and the part that piqued my interest had to do with the onions.  In my limited experience, onions were typically relegated to supporting-cast status, worthy of little fuss.  But in Julia's recipe, there was a full paragraph devoted to exactly how long and at what temperature the huge mountain of thinly sliced yellow onions sitting on my cutting board should be cooked.  The directions were specific: "Cook the onions in a very heavy skillet with the oil and butter over very low heat, stirring occasionally until they are extremely tender and a golden yellow.  This will take about an hour."

Imagine that! Devoting so much burner time to plain old onions.  What effect could time and temperature possibly have on such a pungent vegetable? In spite of my skepticism, I managed to stick with the directions long enough to be rewarded with the answer.  How amazing that this stalwart companion of beer batter and my mother's Texas chili mellowed under the right conditions to smooth sweetness, with a sublime depth of flavor I had never before experienced.  It was magical.

Well, a discovery of such magnitude just had to be shared with an unsuspecting world.  My first opportunity came in a quaint little bistro and deli in the heart of California's Napa Valley wine country.  The house specialty being quiche, it was a good bet the management would be thrilled to see their product go from good to "fabulous"--with my help.

I seized an early opportunity to sidle up to the cook.  "Know the best way to cook onions for quiche?" I inquired, with as much casualness as I could muster.

She nodded solemnly.

"Are you sure?" Eagerness to spring my surprise must have been leaking out of me like little shafts of light.

A faint smile spreading across her lips, perhaps charmed by this earnest child, she elaborated, "Very slowly, woldn't you say?  Over very low heat, for perhaps an hour or more."

"Oh, that's, uh, right," was about all I could manage to stammer through my consternation.  Realizing I had brought coals to Newcastle, I soon retreated to our table.  And sure enough, the adjective "fabulous" was hardly up to characterizing the quiche this obviously well-educated woman soon served.

But if my initial foray into the teaching of onion esoterica had turned out to be a deflating experience, I didn't let it deflect me from pursuing a now decades-long love affair with the whole onion family.  Long before baked garlic was chic, I was serving it to my family and friends.  By college, I was banking leeks in my fridge against vichyssoise cravings, punching up my salads with shallots, and always managing to find a spot to grow a lovely drift of chives.

Of course, I haven't been alone in this interest, particularly over the last several years.  Lately, chefs have been exploring and reevaluating the role these vegetables should have on their menus.  Enter Caesar salad garnished with sweet, golden cloves of roasted garlic; roasted and smoked onion soup; roast tenderloin of beef napped in candied shallot sauce; red onion confit; braised cippolini onions; potato and leek bouillon with thyme and goat cheese gnocchi. No sooner does a chef on the East Coast bring together artichokes, leeks, and chives in a delicate scallop soup, than a West Coast master responds with roasted garlic and potato purÚe to die for.  Alice Waters was one of the first to wow her clientele quietly at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, with green garlic, and over time, interest has swelled.

As for the general public, well, we're following suit.  We're whipping glorious mounds of caramelized onions into our mashed potatoes, bribing friends to bring back souvenir sacks of Maui onions, and rediscovering the charm of homemade pickled onions.  Over the last ten years, sales of onions like Walla Walla Sweets and Vidalias have exploded.  However, while consumers are eagerly receptive of new and better ways to incorporate onions into their personal cuisines, the main knowledge base resides with a relatively small circle of aficionados.

Of course, even that is changing as more and more cooks agree that onions--the entire collection, from leeks and garlic to the tried-and-true yellow globe--deserve an elevation in status from workhorse to truly treasured.
Fresh Sweet Onion Rings with Mint

Thanks to their high water content, sweet onions are inherently crisp and juicy, and ice does a lovely job of keeping them that way.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 pound (about 1 large or 2 medium) fresh sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1/8 teaspoon crushed dried hot red chiles
1 cup small ice cubes or coarsely crushed ice
Salt to taste

Cut the onions crosswise into l/4-inch-thick slices; separate into rings.  In a bowl, combine the onion rings, vinegar, sugar, mint, chiles, and ice; cover and chill for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with the unmelted ice; add salt.

Dalla seconda/terza di copertina:

yellow globes to gourmet green garlic, onions of every variety abound in this seasonal collection of mouthwatering recipes for every course of the meal (except dessert).

Seduced at the age of twelve by the tantalizing aroma of onions slowly caramelizing on the stove, Jan Roberts-Dominguez has been a devotee ever since. The Onion Book is her tribute to every variety of Allium, from the common yellow globes to Walla Wallas, Mauis, Vidalias, and Texas Sweets, including scallions, chives, leeks, pearl onions, shallots, and garlic.

The Onion Book offers 175 recipes, grouped according to season, for foolproof and delicious dishes ranging from Early Summer Gazpacho to Garlic Pork Stew and Oven-Roasted Balsamic Onions to Carrot and Leek Tart.

Sprinkled throughout are fascinating and entertaining tidbits of onion history and lore. (Did you know that until the middle of the eighteenth century Siberia's tax collector was paid in garlic?) Also inclu

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Doubleday
• Data di pubblicazione: 1996
• ISBN 10: 038547735X
• ISBN 13: 9780385477352
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 339