Toombs County's Finest

Vidalia Onions are one of my favorite things about early summer. The onions come from Middle Georgia, Toombs County. The soil there is particularly suited for growing onions. They're mild and slightly sweet. Some say (and I have tested this theory in my childhood) you can eat them like an apple. 

Vidalia's are a finicky addition to the pantry. They are very soft skinned, and don't hold up over time. One way you can preserve them is to tie them up in the legs of pantyhose and tie a knot at each onion, so they don't touch one another (vital). Then, you hang the pantyhose legs in a dark, cool closet. That way, you can get a couple of months out of your onions. Otherwise, they're a blink-and-the-season-is-over kind of vegetable. 

This is my number one favorite way to cook Vidalias.

Veggievangelist's Baked Vidalia Onions

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes in the oven

Ingredients: 

Four medium sized Vidalia onions, sliced into 1/2 inch slices, separated

2 Tbsp. butter, plus 2 Tbsp. (optional)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Approximately 20 butter crackers (e.g., Ritz Crackers)

Cut onions into 1/2 inch slices and separate the rings. Heat large skillet over medium heat with 2 Tbsp. of butter. Add onion , stirring frequently, as the onions begin to caramelize. Add salt and pepper. Cook approximately 8-10 minutes over medium to medium-low heat. Onions should look lightly browned, and will start to look translucent. Remove from heat. Transfer cooked onions to a baking dish. Crush crackers over the onions, add extra butter to the top (optional) and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

Vidalia Onions

Slice into half inch slices and separate rings.  Sorry if the photo's a bit blinding. 

Casserole pre-oven

Casserole ready to eat

Name that Veggie!

A lot of the local farmer's markets open this coming Saturday. I'd like to challenge you to go to one of your local farmer's markets, wherever you may be, and buy a vegetable you don't normally prepare and give it a go. Widen your repertoire.

Do you know what this purple lovely is? It's got a mild taste, very crunchy, and is a great addition to a tasty salad. Boy #1 describes it as a "white carrot."

Spring's Here, Bake a Lemon Pound Cake

I love lemons and springtime. This is one of my favorite go-to cake recipes. In part, for its simplicity, and also because it's so delicious. It's a caloric splurge. And, as a bonus, it also freezes well.

Veggievangelist's Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 60 minutes (give or take a few)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8 oz. container sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. lemon zest
3 cups cake flour (King Arthur and Swans Down make fine cake flour)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt


Place oven rack in the center and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10 inch fluted tube pan (or bundt pan). Tap out excess flour.

Cake:

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Break eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat on high speed until fluffy. Add sugar, beating on high speed, and then add butter. Continue by adding lemon extract, lemon zest and sour cream. Mix until smooth. Reduce speed on mixer to low and gradually beat in the sifted flour. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour batter into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly. Take both hands to hold the cake pan and gently tap it on the counter five times, to settle the batter. Bake in preheated oven for one hour (60 minutes), or until a test knife comes out clean.

Syrup for Cake:

1 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup 10x powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. softened butter

Combine lemon juice, powdered sugar and butter in a bowl. Beat with a wire whisk until smooth.

When cake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Invert onto serving platter and slowly drizzle with the lemon syrup covering completely; allow it to cool further before serving.

Egg Fanatics

We tried natural dyes last week to test out, but these work really well too.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy. 

Veggievangelist's Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

Frustration Makes a Sandwich

Boy #2 was quite frustrated today and this is how he made his sandwich.

Parsnips: The OTHER Root Vegetable

Truth be told, I've never given a lot of regard to parsnips. I'm certain they were never a part of the vegetable lineup served by my mother. I know my own interest in them is recent, and leaned more towards "another veggie to throw in the chicken soup." A few weeks ago, while waiting for my son to get his hair cut, I came across this recipe in the local paper's food insert (and yes, I did take the section of the paper with me). I tried it and was pleasantly surprised that the boys tried them; Boy #1 really liked them. We did them again last night and the response was the same. It says serves six, but it really served four, with me eating way more parsnips than I thought possible. 

Parsnips: The Other Root Vegetable

Not pretty, but very tasty 

Parsnips have a particularly pungent aroma when cut

Sprinkle the cayenne from up high to ensure even coverage

Really, really delicious

Glazed Parsnips

Adapted from Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

2 pounds parsnips, peeled, cut into finger-size lengths

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 tsp. unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put parsnips in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Add salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and arrange parsnips on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, dot with butter and sprinkle with cayenne and rosemary. Bake 20 minutes or until parsnips begin to brown. Remove from oven and serve hot or warm.

Spring's a Springing (Cough, Cough)

We don't seem to do spring halfway anymore. Some years, it's a leisurely waltz towards full bloom. You could drive by someone's house for a few weeks and enjoy the budding azaleas, the dogwoods, the daffodils, all staggered to keep you interested. This year, not so much. Today's pollen count is over 8,000 and you can literally see a green haze in the air. It's making life temporarily miserable. I went out into the garden Friday afternoon for a bit and gave up and got in bed. It's a full on assault. Some of the redbuds that went into bloom late last week are already going green with foliage.

But, all this means that herbs in the garden are popping up. This recipe, developed by my Aunt Sally Hale, is a perfect intro into spring dining. It's light. It's colorful. It tastes so fresh. I hope you like it.

Aunt Sally's Sweet Bulgur Salad
Adapted from The Old Farmer's Almanac Everyday Cookbook

Salad:

1 cup cracked bulgur wheat
3/4 cup chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Dressing:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 generous tsp. sugar
1/2 cup olive oil


For the salad, put the bulgur wheat into a large bowl and just cover with boiling water. Set aside for two hours. Then, drain well and pat dry, if necessary, with a clean dishtowel. Mix all chopped ingredients into the bulgur. For the dressing, in a separate bowl or jar, combine the lemon juice and sugar. Stir or shake until sugar dissolves. Slowly mix in the olive oil. Pour mixed dressing over the salad and stir well before serving. Makes about 8 servings.

Spring's here. I can hardly breathe. Habersham County, GA 3/18/12. 

Add boiling water to bulgur wheat just to cover

It absorbs the water and gets nice and fluffy

The herbs are coming back! 

Delicious in every way

Thank You for Being an Enabler

My friend Helen is a dear soul. She went to see her in-laws over President's Day weekend and came home with a present for me. Her in-laws live in Virginia near someone who is a mushroom farmer (his mushrooms supply the very chic restaurant Le Cirque). Said mushroom farmer had two extra bags of chanterelles in peat and Helen brought a bag to me. So, this is an experiment. I've soaked the bag in water for an hour, and now have it on a stool in a closet down in the basement (I'm also aging a piece of cheese down there, so this means I've got a really moldy basement). Between the cheese and the mushrooms, I can see I'll be taking a few trips downstairs over the next few weeks.

Before the lights went out.