Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 31, 1993 TAG: 9303310061
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Toni Burks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
We can't resist the flavor that onions add to the plainest of foods. Don't even imagine meat loaf, pot roast, lasagna, liver and French onion soup without them.
Surprisingly, everyday onions have aristocratic roots - they belong to the lily family. The color differences among white, red and yellow onions are easy to recognize. And some onion descriptions refer to the size. For example, boiling (or boiler) onions are 7/8 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pearl (or creamer) onions are about 1/2 inch in diameter.
Dry bulb onions are easiest to differentiate by season:
Spring-summer onions: Generally available from April through August, the flavor of these onions is milder, sweeter and less pungent than that of fall-winter onions. They can be white, yellow, or red, and usually have thin, light outer skins and a high water and sugar content. Because these onions are fragile and bruise easily, they have a fairly short storage life. In this group are the special sweet onion varieties, including Vidalia, Walla Walla, Maui, Texas Spring Sweet, Imperial Sweet and Carzalia Sweet onions.
Fall-winter onions: You'll find these onions from late August through March or April. The dry bulb onions of the late growing season have thicker, darker outer skins and more pungent flavor than their spring-summer counterparts. Like early season onions, these can be white, yellow, or red in color. They store well, hence their common name, storage onions.
Green onions or scallions: Available all year, these fresh, immature onions have a mildly pungent flavor. Their bulbs are small and white, with long green shoots or tops. You can use the tops of green onions to add a delicious mild onion flavor to dishes.
Here are some tips for buying and storing onions:
Dry onions range in size from 1/2 inch to 4 inches or larger. Choose the size that's right for your recipe. Small onions are attractive in soups and vegetable side dishes. Larger onions are fine for chopping or cutting into wedges or rings.
Select firm dry onions that have short necks and papery outer skins and are free of blemishes and soft spots. Avoid onions that have begun to sprout.
Choose green onions with fresh-looking tops and clean white ends.
Store fall-winter onions in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place for up to several months. Keep spring-summer onions in the refrigerator for up to several weeks, depending on the variety. Green onions should be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to five days. For longer storage, freeze sliced or chopped onions in freezer containers for up to one year. - Associated Press
\ MICROWAVE IT No cutting, no peeling, no frying, no kidding! These Parmesan-coated potatoes are so easy, even the kids can make them. They'll have fun shaking the frozen potatoes in the bag of coating, then watching them sizzle through the microwave oven door. And, children will love eating the cheesy wedges because they're just the right size for little fingers. Cheesy potato wedges\ 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 of 1 24-oz. pkg. frozen wedge-cut potatoes
1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
In plastic food storage bag combine Parmesan, onion salt and paprika. Add potatoes; close bag. Shake until coated. Arrange potatoes in a microwave-safe square 2-qt. baking dish. Set aside 1/2 tsp. of the Parmesan coating. Cook potatoes, uncovered, on high (100 percent power) for 4 minutes. Give dish a half-turn and cook 2 to 4 minutes more or until tender and hot. In a 1-cup glass measuring cup heat margarine or butter on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until melted. Carefully stir in reserved coating; pour over potatoes. Makes 4 servings. - Associated Press
\ ON THE MENU What would Julia Child serve for dinner if you were her guest? That's one of the things she was asked during a recent visit to Miami.
She would begin with fresh oysters on the half shell with champagne, then sauteed fresh foie gras on a bed of frisee lettuce with a slightly sweet vinaigrette. To drink: sauternes.
Next would come a veal chop served with pan juices and potatoes Anna, as well as glasses of merlot or a well-aged cabernet. To cleanse the palate, a green salad and perhaps some cheese. She would follow this with fresh fruit and homemade cookies.
"I'm not too much of a dessert person or I'd be 6-feet-by-6-feet," Child says. With dessert, "I think champagne would be nice - some Krug perhaps."
Then she would pour espresso. "I like the way the Italians do it. A little cup with just a swallow in it - it's really delicious." The meal would end with eau de vie de poire (a fruit spirit made from pears) and "bon appetit," of course.
OK, Julia. When are you having us over? - Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
\ LIGHT STYLE Tart shells are wonderful, but they must be handled gently and cooked and filled almost immediately. If you use filo dough, you can be as rough as you want and actually bake the shells a full day in advance, then fill them just before serving.
The filo shells are a simple preparation: The delicate sheets of filo are crumpled into nests, and no matter how roughly you do it (the filo can break and it won't matter), the technique is almost foolproof. To reduce the fat content, we substituted butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray for melted butter.
The baked filo shells may be stored in an airtight container and filled with the banana-orange filling just before serving.
Bananas in filo nests 2 Tbsps. butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsps. Grand Marnier liqueur or rum
1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
Grated zest 1 orange
8 bananas
Filo nests
Powdered sugar (optional)
Low-fat whipped topping (optional)
Melt butter in skillet. Add sugar, Grand Marnier, orange juice and zest. Bring to boil. Continue boiling over medium heat 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cut bananas in\ -in. slices. Add to mixture and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Place each filo nest on dessert plate. Spoon bananas into center of filo nests; drizzle hot orange syrup all over filo. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped topping. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
Filo nests: Finely chop pecans or cashews to measure 8 teaspoons. Thaw 1 lb. filo sheets (about 16). Lightly spray 1 sheet with butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle center with 1 tsp. finely chopped pecans or cashews. Top with another sheet of filo and lightly spray with cooking spray. Fold over 4 corners of top sheet toward center. Crimp bottom filo around sides to form 5-in. round shell or nest, making a hollow center. Repeat with remaining filo sheets and nuts, placing nests side by side on lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and crisp throughout. Makes 8 nests. - Los Angeles Times
by CNB