Mission #88 - Vidalia Onion Feast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.