Mastering Onions: Flavor Foundations from Sweet to Sharp

Chives are a stable in both my herb garden and kitchen and I cook with them almost daily. Why? I like the fresh bit on oniony flavor in anything from my morning eggs to baked potatoes, lamb or in salads but also the health benefits are really impressive. Chives are considered a soft herb and have a much milder flavor that the bulbous onions thus can be used to complement most any dish. 

I am a certified Leek Lord!

Leeks are my favorite vegetable. I make leek soup with our Mushroom Infused Finishing Salt throughout the year, french braised leeks (do substitute the black pepper with our Boreal Pepper Blend) and a toasted baguette all day long. But did you know you can substitute a bulbous onion with a leek? Leeks are like a giant scallion but with a completely different flavor profile as the are earthier and sweeter than most onions. 

In case you ever wondered why they are always so dirty, they grow in sandy soil so they need a bit of a bath. Cut the leeks first to open the layers, and then wash them. If you’re cutting the leek into rings for braising, simply drop the slices into cold water bath, swish them around and let them sit for a few minutes. If cutting lengthwise, hold them under cold water and gently move the layers to allow the water to flow through.

Last tip: Don't throw away the dark leaves. Most recipes don't use them but you can use them just like a ramp. Chop them up and use them for broth or in a stew. They are fabulous in a stir fry or freeze them for the next time you are boiling potatoes and throw them in the pot. 

 

Rant about Ramps

Ramps, also known as ramson, wild leek, wood leek, or wild garlic are used in a variety of North American and indigenous cuisines, and has also been used by Native Americans and the First Nations in traditional medicine. I first ran into ramps at a local farmers market. I was intrigued with the history and loved the smell. We now buy them to incorporate in salads, we use the leaves as wraps for example with pork loin and we dry it as a crispy topping.

Ramps are found in woods with rich soils that are moist ground in depressions, and along stream-side bluffs and hillsides. They are native to both North American and Canada but are considered a rare delicacy in Quebec and are under protected status. In our area, they are in abundance. 

Fun fact: The city of Chicago's name is from the Algonquin language: “shikaakwa,” meaning “striped skunk” or “onion.” better known as, you guessed it, ramps!

There are some great recipes using ramps here and if you are near Richwood, West Virginia which is the ramp capitol of the world in April, you can attend their annual festival.

Onions don’t cheat they just get caught red-layered

The funny thing about the red onion is that it is not really red; it is purple or burgundy or if your are in Europe blue. In fact, when red onions were named, the word purple did not even exist. It was not until around the 14th century that the color purple was used. So let's talk about the red really purple onion.

Red onions are more mild and sweeter than their yellow and white counterparts but they are pungent and I love them just as they are. If they are a bit too much for you, soak them in cool water for 10 minutes. The red onion is suitable for both raw and cooked applications such as grilling, roasting, braising, and pickling and check out this video for a fabulous carmelized onion recipe. The coarse-textured onions allows it to stand up in a sandwich or layered on a burger.

You’re my sprout-light!

Wait it's a scallion, no it's a bunching onion! I think not, it is a welsh not from wales onion. Whatever you call them, the green onions are young onions. They are mild and sweet and commonly used raw but also stir-fries, soups, omelets and my go to for egg fried rice.

When shopping for them look for firm, bright green tops with no yellowing. Thinner scallions are milder; thicker ones have a stronger flavor. The thing that I most dislike about scallions is they don't last long. I do grow them, staggering them over the summer and you can dehydrate them for the winter months but my new go to is the herb keeper and a tip, cut the bottom tip off and put it is a shallow bowl of water and guess what, it will sprout. I have a bowlful in my kitchen. 

Shall we dance? Only if there are shallots involved!

My husband introduced me to shallots and also taught me how to pronounce them properly (the french way). Shaped like small red onions with papery skin and a pale pink color inside, shallots are unlike other bulbous onions as they grow in clusters rather than a single bulb but you can also grow a single shallot plant by seed resulting in a single bulb. Just don't tell my husband because that is not a true french shallot!

The flavor of a shallot is quite delicate,  with garlicky kick coupled with a sharp bite when eaten raw. I love to thinly slice them for salads but also fry them up for use with green beans and asparagus as examples. For cooking, I primarily use them for sauces, sautés and egg based recipes.

When life gives you onions, make French soup.

You guessed it! The sweet onion is a not pungent yet mild which is attributable to their low sulfur and high water content. There are so many varieties of the sweet onion but for our sake I am focusing on the wonderful Vadalia onion from Vadalia , Georgia. They are a seasonal delicacy in the South, available at your local farmers market from April to August, and are loved for their high sugar content and versatility, adding flavor without the harsh bite of of the white or yellow onion. 

I do not use them raw. I roast them, caramelize them, use them in my homemade mayonnaise and onion jam, soups, galettes and fish. This is a wonderful site for recipes With that said you may be wondering which onion red or Vadalia is better for caramelizing. The answer is, it depends on what you are cooking. A pastrami sandwich with caramelized red onions is the bomb but for my husbands famous french onion soup, we use Vadalia. Just keep in mind red onions need a bit of sugar while Vadalia do not. 

Oh and caramelizing? Use the KISS method. Two tablespoons of olive oil, 1 large onion, 8 minutes on medium heat, add two tablespoons of your favorite balsamic vinegar, turn temperature to low and cover the onions for 10 more minutes. Perfection! This is my favorite balsamic vinegar. It is made with bourbon and is absolutely divine. I made a onion and mushroom quiche with it that is a family favorite. 

Let’s ketchup with some onion rings!

The yellow onion is the most versatile of the onion family. It has a pungent flavor when raw that morphs to sweet and rich when cooked, making them the ideal onion for building flavor in most any dish but in particular in soups, sauces, roasting and sautés and yes, onion rings.

Basically if your recipe does not define the type of onion to use, this is the onion to use. It is also very good at caramelizing but just not my go to unless I am out of Vadalias. One of my favorite onion dishes is this fried onion and apple side. It is wonderful with pork loin.

Slice me, dice me, love me.

The ever reliable white onion. This mild, sweet and crisp onion is a pantry staple. It is widely used in Mexican and European cuisine for salads in particular potato and pasta based salads, raw sauce preparation such as salsas and especially in ceviche. But as it is more tender than the yellow onion, a white onion pretty much melts in dishes. For presence use the yellow onion. 

It is also easy to grow whether by seed or a starter bulb. 

Final Thoughts

Onions are not just an ingredient, they are a foundation. As Michael Ruhlman notes, “We vastly undervalue onions because they're cheap… If they were expensive, chefs would pay dearly for them” (Oprah Daily).