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ONIONS AND THEIR PREPARATION

VARIETIES OF THE ONION FAMILY

40. ONIONS are the chief commercial vegetable of the bulb crops. They
have been cultivated from the earliest times, their native country being
Central Asia. Closely allied to the onion are several other bulb
vegetables, including garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives, all of which
are used more extensively for flavoring dishes than for any other
purpose. Fig. 10 shows several varieties of this family, the group of
three in the upper right corner being garlic; the bunch in the lower
right corner, leeks; the bunch in the lower left corner, green onions;
and the remainder of those shown in the illustration, different
varieties of dried onions, that is, onions that have been allowed
to mature.

41. This entire class of food is characterized by a typical, volatile
oil, which in most cases is so strong as to be somewhat irritating and
which causes the vegetable to disagree with many persons. This flavor,
however, can be almost entirely dissipated by cooking, so that many
persons who cannot eat the various members of the onion family raw can
tolerate them cooked. In food value, which is found principally as
carbohydrate in the form of sugar, this class of foods is not very high,
being about the same as carrots, beets, and other root vegetables. Some
persons believe that onions have wonderful medicinal value in curing
colds and preventing them, but there is really no foundation for such
a belief.

[Illustration: Fig. 10]

42. ONIONS.--As has been pointed out, onions are of two general
varieties, dried and green. _Dried onions_, as shown in Fig. 10, are
those which have been allowed to grow to maturity and have then been
cured, or dried, to a certain extent. Such onions are in demand at all
seasons. _Green onions_, also shown in Fig. 10, are those which are
pulled, or taken out of the ground, before they have matured and are
eaten while fresh. They are especially popular in the spring, although
they have a rather long season. Each of these classes has many
varieties, which vary in flavor and in color, some of the dried ones
being yellow, some red, and others white. All dried onions have
excellent keeping qualities, so, after purchasing, no special care need
be given to them except to store them in a comparatively cool, dry
place. Deterioration is due chiefly to sprouting, for as soon as the new
plant begins to grow from the center of the onion, the remainder becomes
soft and loses much of its flavor. The green, immature onions, however,
will not keep for any length of time, and in order to keep them fresh
until they are used, they must be stored in a cool, damp place.

[Illustration: FIG. 11]

43. GARLIC.--The variety of onion known as garlic is very much desired
by the people of southern Europe, where it originated. As Fig. 10 shows,
it resembles the onion in appearance, but it consists of several parts,
or small bulbs, called _cloves_, which are encased in a covering of thin
white skin. Garlic has a very strong penetrating odor and a biting taste
that resemble the odor and taste of onion, but that are much ranker. It
is little used by Americans except as a flavoring for salads and various
kinds of highly seasoned meats. In reality, a very small amount of
garlic is sufficient to lend enough flavor, and so the bowl in which a
salad is served is often merely rubbed with garlic before the salad is
put into it. No difficulty will be experienced in recognizing garlic in
the markets, for here it is found in long strings that are made by
braiding the dry stems together.

44. SHALLOTS.--Closely allied to garlic are shallots, which are native
to Syria, where they still grow wild. They are said to have been brought
into Europe by the Crusaders. The bulbs of this vegetable are similar to
those of garlic, being compound in form, but instead of being enclosed
in a thin covering, they are separate when mature, as Fig. 11 shows.
Shallots have a strong flavor, but it is not so rank as that of garlic,
nor does the odor remain in the mouth so long as that of onion. Many
persons like shallots for flavoring stews, soups, salads, and pickles.

45. LEEKS.--Another member of the onion family that is more highly
prized and more extensively raised in Europe than in the United States
is leeks. As Fig. 10 shows, leeks do not produce a bulb as do onions. In
this vegetable, the lower parts of the leaves grow close together and
form a bulb-like stem, or neck, which is fairly solid and which
constitutes the edible part. The odor and flavor of leeks are similar to
those of onions, but they are somewhat weaker. The fleshy stem may be
bleached by banking it with earth, and when this is done, the flavor
becomes more mild and the texture more tender than in the onion bulb.
Like shallots, leeks are used to flavor stews, soups, and similar foods.

46. CHIVES.--The member of the onion family known as chives is a small
plant whose roots remain in the ground for many years and produce year
after year dense tufts of slender, hollow leaves. These leaves grow to a
height of about 6 or 8 inches and resemble the tops of onions except
that they are much smaller. Chives, which have a more delicate flavor
than onions, are much used for flavoring soup, stews, salads, meats, and
other vegetables and as a garnish for salads. When used for any of these
purposes, they are cut into tiny pieces.


PREPARATION OF ONIONS

47. ONIONS FOR FLAVORING.--When only the flavor of onions is desired in
a salad or a cooked dish of some sort, such as a dressing for fowl,
hash, or any similar combination of food ingredients, the onion should
be added in the form of juice and pulp rather than in pieces. Then it
will not be possible to observe the onion when it is mixed with the food
nor to come across small pieces of it when the food is eaten. To prepare
an onion in this way, peel it, cut off a crosswise slice, and then grate
the onion on a grater over a shallow dish. Add the juice and pulp thus
obtained to any food that calls for onion as a flavoring.

48. ONIONS FOR THE TABLE.--When onions are to be used as a vegetable for
the table, they require cooking, but first of all they must be peeled.
This is at best a rather unpleasant task, because the fumes from the
strong volatile oil are irritating to both the eyes and the nostrils.
However, it may be done more comfortably by keeping the onions immersed
in cold water during the peeling. Remove only the dry outside shells,
and, if the onions are large, cut them in halves or quarters. However,
as the various layers are likely to fall apart when the onion is cut, it
is advisable to select medium-sized or small onions, for these may be
cooked whole. After the onions have been peeled, they may be cooked in a
variety of ways.

49. BOILED ONIONS.--Perhaps the simplest method of cooking onions is to
boil them. To allow the strong volatile oil to escape instead of being
reabsorbed by the onions, and thus improve the flavor of the onions, the
cover should be kept off the vessel while they are cooking. The water in
which this vegetable is cooked has not a very agreeable flavor, so no
use should be made of it.

Peel the desired number of onions and if necessary cut them into halves
or quarters. Place them in sufficient boiling water to cover well. Cook
in an uncovered vessel until tender enough to be easily pierced with a
fork, but not so soft as to fall apart. Then pour off the water, season
with more salt, if necessary, and a little pepper, and add 1
tablespoonful of butter for each four persons to be served. Serve hot.

50. CREAMED ONIONS.--A cream sauce added to onions makes a very
appetizing dish. In fact, most persons prefer creamed onions to any
other method of preparation.

CREAMED ONIONS
(Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 pt. stewed onions
3 Tb. butter
3 Tb. flour
1 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1-1/2 c. hot milk

Prepare the onions according to the directions given in Art. 49. When
they are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork, drain. Melt the
butter, and add the flour, salt, pepper, and hot milk. Cook until the
sauce thickens, pour over the stewed onions, heat together for a few
minutes, and serve.

51. BAKED ONIONS.--If variety in the preparation of onions is desired,
baked onions should be tried. Select medium-sized onions, peel them, and
then boil them whole in boiling salted water until they are almost
tender. Drain off the water, place the onions in a shallow dish, brush
with butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a hot oven and
bake until brown on one side; then turn them and brown on the other
side. Serve hot.

[Illustration: FIG. 12]  52. STUFFED ONIONS.--When large onions can be
secured, a very appetizing as well as attractive dish can be prepared by
stuffing them and then baking them brown. Onions cooked in this way will
appear as shown in Fig. 12.

STUFFED ONIONS
(Sufficient to Serve Six)

6 large onions
1 c. dried bread crumbs
2 Tb. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 c. milk

Peel the onions and cook them in boiling salted water until almost
tender. Remove from the water and take out the inner portions of the
onions, leaving the outside layers in the shape of a cup. Chop the
portions of the onions which have been removed and mix with the bread
crumbs. Melt the butter, add to it the chopped onion, bread crumbs,
salt, pepper, and celery salt, and stir all together for a few minutes
over the flame. Add the milk, and if the 1/4 cupful is not sufficient to
make the stuffing moist, add more. Fill the onion shells with the
stuffing, place in a hot oven, and bake until brown. Serve immediately.