Vegetables Onion
Onion
Onions come in many varieties, some sweet, some tangy, but all are good for the body and good as an ingredient in main dishes.
Onion
(allium cepa)
Alliaceae
They can make you cry if you let them, but they really are not bad. In some settings they can be stinky beyond belief, but are a fine complement to steaks.
Bulb onions (most varieties) are okay eaten raw. They are thick sliced to be put on burgers and other sandwiches. Onions are also found on tops of salads. Green onions are an ingredient in vegetable dips and on salads. White onions are common in Mexican cuisine. Onions are chopped up for Pico de Gallo and salsa.
Onions can be purchased at all times of the year. If you can’t find them at your local farmer’s market, they can be found in grocery stores who buy onions from other countries. The most useful onion is the red onion. It can be diced up for use in salads like macaroni or pasta salad. This onion can also be grilled and friend.
Onion Trivia
Just where did onions come from? It is believed to have originated somewhere in the Middle East. Onions come in three colors: white, yellow, and red. Each onion has a papery outer skin that protects the inner softer layers. An onion has several layers that get smaller as you get closer to the middle. It is a veggie that reminds me of a flower. The narcissus is a relative of the onion.
Nutritional Value
A serving is 1 cup (160g) of raw diced onion. A serving only has 64 calories.Onions don't have many calories - which makes them a good addition in any weight loss diet - and their nutritional value is not particularly high. They have an appreciable amount of calcium, some vitamin C, fiber and that's about it. They are considered a healthy food more for their strong anti-inflamatory properties.
Besides the tangy taste that onions add to all the dishes they flavor, they are quite good for a person’s health. They are fat and cholesterol free and contain lots of other nutrients that protect against various forms of cancer, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and heart disease. Onions contain, for instance, quercetin, a potent anti-oxidant.
Storage
For extra onions you have on hand, store them before they become soft and mushy. Cut them up and blanch them. The onion chunks are frozen on a flat cookie sheet and then placed in a freezer bag or container.
Preparation and cooking
Onions are cut into chunks and skewered for shish kebabs. They are sautéed with steaks and used in sauces. Yellow onions are caramelized to be used in French onion soup. Some people even dare to eat onions raw like an apple. Sweet Vidalia onions are supposed to be just that good that they can do that.
Onions can be flowered and deep fried to produce the blooming onion so popular in restaurants today. Before the blooming variety became so popular, people ate tons of onion rings.
Recipes
Onions are a popular condiment and as such present in almost every recipe, from the simplest broth or sauce to complex dishes in every cuisine.
Stufings: sage and onion - apple and onion.
Side dish: baked or grilled onions.
Onion flavor: mini cheese and onion pies - mushrooms in onion and cream Sauce.
Onion - allium cepa - bulb onions, Spanish onions, Japanese onions, spring onions, scallions, pickling onions, shallots, Egyptian or tree onion, bunching onions or ciboule, chibol, sprout, fistulosum.
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