So how are you feeling today? Headache? Sore throat? Athlete’s foot? Going bald? Been bitten by a snake or stung by a bee? If so, help “might” be right in your kitchen pantry. According to folk lore, the lowly onion was once thought to have significant medicinal powers and could cure all of the above maladies.

Onions are probably one of the most versatile of all vegetables. They can be eaten raw, baked, stuffed, fried, boiled, creamed, sautéed, and of course, we mustn’t forget deep fried onion rings. (I’ll have mine with lots of salt and ketchup, thank you very much.)

Onions are often divided into three categories: mild, strong, and sweet. The mild group includes chives, shallots, and scallions (also called green onions) and has a rather subtle flavor. Leeks and the small white pearl onions are included in this group as well. The stronger varieties include the common brown (sometimes referred to as yellow or white) onion, and garlic. This group is essential to thousands of recipes, lending its pungent zip to the overall flavor profile. The sweet varieties of onions (Texas Sweets, Walla Walla, Maui Sweets, and Vidalia onions), are so mild that you can almost eat them like an apple.

Why do we cry when cutting an onion? It is the sulfuric compounds in onions that irritate our eyes and nasal membranes. There are many thoughts as to how to prevent this uncomfortable side effect, including goggles, holding an unlit match between your teeth, or chewing on a stick of gum or a piece of white bread. However, the only fix that works for me is to refrigerate the onion for an hour or so before peeling and chopping.

Onions are part of the fall harvest and I love guessing what size and shape the onion will be as I give the top a good yank. We’ve just dug our Green Mountain potatoes this past weekend (less than typical yield) and we’ll wait a little longer for the rest of the onion tops to flop over before we pull them.

There’s a bit of personal history with this recipe for a fabulous hors d’oeurve made with sweet onions. I attended a cooking class in Key West many years ago taught by Sarah Benson, who had the enviable job of being a chef in the Test Kitchen of the sadly, now defunct, Gourmet Magazine. She is a charming woman and told the story of preparing Herbed Onion Tea Sandwiches at Gourmet for one of the holiday entertaining issues. These little onion sandwiches were so popular amongst the staff that people were trying to “trade” other items being tested  just to get another taste of this unusual concoction. (Sort of like in grade school when you would check out everyone else’s lunch boxes and do some creative bartering for something extra good…remember?)

image: theslowcook.blogspot.com

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