If you ask me, “What is the best vegetable of the season?”. My answer would be and I say this with ease, Vidalia Onions.    It is unbelievable what one can do with this vegetable.

The onions are named Vidalia because of where they are grown, Vidalia, Georgia (growing there started in the early 1930s). The different varieties are unusually sweet, due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in which the onions are grown.

One of the 1000 possibilities for a sweet onion.

Meantime you will find this kind of onion almost everywhere, but not called Vidalia of course , just yellow onion. That’s the one we need and we talk about here. Actually the following recipe „onion soup“ is a summer dish. We are almost into summer and the northern hemisphere has still some warm days, why don’t you try it?

Chilled Onion Soup.

  To me, the best chilled soup one can have.

Ingredients.

4 medium or large Vidalia onions
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Garnish: chopped chives (optional), even coriander would be nice

   Peel and slice the onions.

How to do.

Peel and slice the onions. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and thyme, stir to coat with the olive oil and place a tight-fitting lid on the pan.Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent. Do not brown the onions. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard.

Transfer the soft onions to a food processor or blender. Add the kosher salt and vegetable broth and puree until smooth. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

  Garnish your soup with some chives.

If soup separates overnight, stir it until it’s smooth again, then ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives. This dish is so easy to make and soooooooo good !

Onion Rings with Beer Mustard.

  Delicious snack, onion rings with beer mustard.

I coat my onion rings in a tempura-style batter and fry them until they’re golden and crunchy. Sprinkled with herbs or fresh chilli makes it a feast.

Ingredients.

For the onion rings:
2 large Vidalia onions
2 cups buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rice flour
2 cups seltzer (sparkling water, soda water)
1 12 ounce (about 360 ml) bottle beer
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Chopped parsley and flaky salt, for topping

That’s what I use, a heavy tasty dark beer.

For the beer mustard:
1 cup aioli or good quality mayonnaise
1/2 cup Dijon mustard (or any good spicy mustard)
2 tablespoons agave syrup or maple syrup or similar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon beer-extract powder (available at home-brew suppliers and some spice shops), in case you can’t find the extract just leave it.
Pinch of cayenne pepper

How to do.

Cut each onion crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Separate the slices into individual rings; remove the 4 small center rings from each slice and reserve them for another use.

Put the separated onion rings into a large baking dish or shallow bowl and cover them with the buttermilk.
In a small bowl, whisk the aioli, Dijon mustard, agave syrup, cinnamon, beer-extract powder and cayenne until combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour, the rice flour, seltzer, beer and honey until smooth.

Put the remaining 2 cups all-purpose flour in a separate large bowl or shallow pan and season it generously with kosher salt.

Fill a large heavy pot with at least 3 inches of vegetable oil.
Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot and heat the oil over medium-high heat to 180 degree C  (350 degrees F).
Working in batches, lift the onion rings from the buttermilk and shake off the excess.

Transfer them to the flour mixture and toss until coated, then dip one by one into the beer batter, shaking off the excess, and add to the hot oil. Fry, turning the onions often with tongs, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes; adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the oil temperature. Never fill the rings to tight, they need room to „swim“.

Drain the onion rings on paper towels and sprinkle with parsley and flaky salt while still warm. Serve with the beer mustard.

My hot Tip.

    Onion rings fried in Panko ! See my earlier post !

Stuffed Onions.

  A delicious meal.

Ingredients.

4 Vidalia Onions or similar sweet onions
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP butter
½ cup panko
1 tsp freshly chopped basil
½ tsp salt and pepper each
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp thyme
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

How to do.

Cut a half inch thick slice off the top and bottom of your onion so that the onion will sit up straight.
Use a knife and carefully carve out a small circle in the top of the onion.
Then with a spoon scoop out the center carefully, leaving the onion layers intact.
Place each onion on its separate sheet of foil. Set aside.

Saute the zucchini and garlic in the butter for 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn off heat and add in the panko, cheese, and remaining seasonings.
Mix well and then spoon the filling into the center of each onion.

Wrap the onion up in the foil, making sure to pat down the top to seal the stuffing inside and place on either a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 220C (450F) or place the individually wrapped onions on the grill over high heat and grill for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy !

How about these mouthwatering onion dishes ?

Stay tuned to some more onion recipes, if you like, by example onion „roesti“, see above.