Mission #88 - Vidalia Onion Feast (400pts)First off, I would like to say I never want to cut another onion for at least... 3 and a half years.
My four dishes consisted of Zucchini Onion dip (for an appetizer), French Onion soup (another appetizer?), Potato and Onion Casserole, and Vidalia Onion Custard (and its not a dessert.) Seriously today I have cut just under 6 lbs of onions. I smell like sauteed onions, my stuff smells like sauteed onions, and my apartment smells like sauteed onions. I will post each recipe with notes about it, then the next with notes, and so on and so on.
Note: I do not have a real kitchen. Don't let me fool you into thinking this. I will note where having a real kitchen with work spaces and appliances would come in handy.
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| The first four pounds of onions I used.... |
Zucchini and Onion Dip
2 T margarine
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c cold water
1 cup skim milk, heated to boiling
3/4 c light sour cream
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried dillweed
1 teaspoon salt
dash red pepper
In a skillet, melt margarine med heat; cook zucchini with onion, 7 minutes or until very tender; set aside. In blender, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold water; let stand 2 minutes. Add hot milk and blend at low speed until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add sour cream, cheese, dill, salt, pepper, then zucchini mixture. Blend on high speed until smooth, about a minute. Pour into bowl; chill for about 2 to 4 hours, or until set. Whisk until smooth, then serve with bread sticks, crackers, or assorted vegetables
Notes: Okay. First major thing to note is that I want a blender for my birthday, I may see if we have an extra food processor at home, I think I got one from Grandma's house after she passed on. I have this nifty handpowered chopper/blender... thing... but for blending something smooth this isn't useful. I chopped up the stuff the best I could. Its chunky instead of smooth. Second thing of note: It didn't set up very well. I'd consider maybe putting in a second packet of gelatin maybe. Or maybe if it were blended better it would have made a difference. I tried it kind of soupy, and honestly I think this would make an awesome soup, minus the gelatin. I tried this stuff on carrots, and I think that would make a good addition TO the soup. Its pretty good on Ritz crackers as well. I think its too fancy to go on potato chips. Granted the recipe never said to put it on potato chips... Afterthought: I put it in the freezer, thinking my kitchen was too hot. It firmed up quite a bit after doing that.
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| Zucchini and onion dip. |
French Onion Soup
8-10 large Vidalia onions
1/2 c butter or margarine
6 - 10 1/2 oz cans condensed beef broth
1 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
10 slices French bread, toasted
grated Parmesan and/or shredded Mozzarella cheese
Saute onions in butter until crisp-tender. Transfer to slow-cooker (aka crock pot). Add broth, Worcestershire sauce and bayleaves. Cover, cook on low 5-7 hours or until onions are tender. Discard bay leaves. Ladle into bowls. Top each with a slice of bread and some cheese.
Notes: I used beef bouillon instead of broth. I always have in this recipe. I couldn't get french bread, so I've used croutons before as well. My preference is to put the mozzarella in frozen so when it melts its all gooey and stringy.
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| French onion soup. |
Potato and Onion Casserole
3 c sliced Vidalia onions
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t crumbled leaf thyme
6 med potatoes, cooked and sliced
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can condensed cream of celery soup (10.5 ounces)
In a skillet, cook onions in butter until lightly browned. Add soup and water; season with salt and pepper and thyme. Arrange potatoes and 1/2 cup of the cheese in a buttered 2-quart casserole. Pour onion mixture over ingredients in casserole and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through and lightly browned. Potato and onion casserole serves 4.
Notes: If time = money, its definitely true that thyme = money as well. I couldn't afford any, so I didn't put it in. It still seems pretty tasty without it. I didn't cook my potatoes long enough before putting it all together, so they're kind of crispy still. I wasn't sure exactly how to prepare "6 medium potatoes, cooked and sliced" so I microwaved them. Something tells me that probably wasn't right. The bottom of this casserole was very soupy from.. the soup mixture. It was a good gravy on it though. I think it could have easily used more onions.. maybe up it to four cups.
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| the Custard is on the left, and the large mass on the right is the Casserole. |
Vidalia Onion Custard
4 lg Vidalia onions (6 med), halved and thinly sliced
4 T butter
1 C milk
2 lg eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg
Pepper, to taste
chopped chives or green onion for garnish
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onions in butter, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden in color. Let onions cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and egg yolk, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add cooked onions; stir well. Transfer to a well-buttered 1 1/2-quart baking dish or large deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 325° oven 40 to 50 minutes, or until lightly golden and a clean knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with chives or green onion. Serve hot.
Notes: I had no clue what to expect on this one. Its actually pretty good, but I couldn't eat a whole lot of it at once. Of course after all this oniony stuff.. yikes. Its pretty tasty though. I think I would consider next time rinsing off the onions to get the extra butter off of them after cooking. It was very watery at the bottom. Another appliance moment: I had to put my oven at about 400 for about an hour and 10 minutes. My oven is a piece.
Okay... so that is the tale of my Vidalia Onion Feast. Unfortunately I've got a ton of leftovers, so my feast should continue the next few days. Ugh. Words from the wise: Don't do this mission if you live by yourself, or else I really hope you like onions.
