"How can I make this dish more appetizing?""What can we have for dinner today?---something that`s different". Woman, since the down of civilization and probably earlier, has been racking her brain over questions like these.
Nowadays, her problem is comparatively simple, thanks to a variety of foods produced, and the ease of transporting them from one end of the earth to the other.
But picture the original cavewoman! No doubt her mate brought home the same kind of meat every day, and no doubt he growled and blamed her because the menu was monotonous. Early she found out that savory, well-seasoned dishes offered the surest way to domestic peace and happiness. But how to have them, with no market around the corner, and nothing but the same old bear meat, or maybe a slice of ichthyosaurus steak---awfully tough, too.
Then came an important discovery. Women have always been resourceful, and although there are no witnesses to prove that it was, the cavewoman, rather than the man, who found a certain food which contributes more to the savoriness of mealsthan does any other one item. It is a safe guess that she, not he, deserves the honor; that she, not he, discovered the onion.
Undoubtedly the man was off on a hunting or a fishing trip at the time when his mate, puttering around in the yard in front of the cave---anxiously looking for something new to liven up the menu, tasting this root and that leaf---finally came upon a new and interesting looking bulb.
Pulling off the outside skin, she discovered a gleaming white sphere---like a huge pearl. She smelled, she tasted. What a find! Steak is one thing---but steak and onions quite another! And they always have been, from that day. In later ages, as agriculture developed, the onion like other vegetables was improved, both in flavor and consistency, by constant cultivation.
And all along through the years, it has been the basis for hundreds, even thousands of culinary triumphs. The Egyptian were so keen about the onion that they carved it on their monuments. One variety, cultivated along the Nile, was accorded "divine honors", so states an old record graven on stone. Whatever "divine honors" may have meant it is safe to assume that the human appeal of the onion was not overlooked and that Cleopatra`s chief cook was an adept in using it both as seasoning and as a dish by itself.
Now, better than ever before, we understand the valuable health properties that cause the onion to be rated high by dietitians. As a source of vitamins and of mineral salts, it ranks among the best of leafy vegetables, offering much to the well-being of humans as well as to their pleassure.
Practically, the onion is a very versatile food---it has a whole bag of tricks all its own. It seasons soups, sauces, meat and fish dishes of all kinds, cheese, macaroni, vegetables, salads and salad dressings---and many a chef has made his reputation by the adroit use of the onion with other foods. As a separate dish, it lends itself equally well to boiling, broiling, frying and baking, and furthermore is popular in its natural state without cooking of any kind.
Speaking of fried onions---have you tried them French fried, like the potatoes? They are easy to do and very delicious. First cut slices of medium thickness; then brake these up into rings. Dip in milk and in seasoned flour before frying in deep hot oil. Once they reach a golden color, remove from oit and drain on paper towel. These may be served with steak or chops and make an attractive garnish.
Many connoisseurs declare that medium-sized onions in cream sauce are the perfect vegetable dish. For you to try a variation of this delicious traditional dish, a combination with meat that is excellent for the entree at lunch or dinner, here we share with you our "Stuffed Onions with Cream Sauce" recipe.
Enjoy!
Me (the Chef!)
Comments