Antioxidant Onions by Ruth Paget

Antioxidant Onions by Ruth Paget 

Mark Kurlansky writes about everything onion in his book The Core of an Onion. Kurlansky begins by writing that though onions do not have as much protein, which builds and repairs muscles and bones, as other vegetables they do have some. 

They also contain significant amounts of other nutrients such as the following; 

-Vitamin C – an antioxidant that helps remove free radicals that may cause can cancer from the body 

-calcium- a mineral associated with healthy bones and teeth 

-iron – makes hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the brain

(Additional information obtained from Betterhealth Victoria – Australia, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institutes of Health) 

Kurlansky also writes that as late as World War II, onions were used to dress wounds to prevent infection by the Russian army. 

The fun part of Kurlansky’s book are the 100 historical recipes that he has put together. 

Two of the onion soups he writes about should be in everyone’s culinary repertoire. 

The first soup is Missouri-Kansas-Texas Onion Soup – a railroad classic. This soup contains diced onions, which are sautéed in butter until brown and added to boiling chicken broth. The chicken broth is seasoned with parsley, garlic, bay leaves, and Worcestershire Sauce.The soup is poured over croutons and topped off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This soup is an American pantry classic. 

The second soup is a French Vichyssoise, a chilled leek and potato soup that is puréed with milk and cream. I made this soup often in Stuttgart, Germany when I lived there. When it was 30 below outside in winter and windy, all soups seemed to chill naturally. Sometimes I even made vichyssoise with onions, which gave it a more velvety texture without too much difference in taste. 

Other recipes that Kurlansky write about look especially good including: 

-onion bread 

-Welsh onion and potato tart 

-creamed onions to go with steak or roast pork 

The best thing about cooking with onions is that they are less expensive than most other vegetables, which makes The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlansky a reference cookbook for the budget minded. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Potato Soup Recipe by Ruth Paget

Potato Soup Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

For Mirepoix: 

-5 baby carrots, minced 

-3 celery sticks, minced 

-1 large onion, minced 

-2 russet potatoes, cubed 

-32 ounces chicken stock

-4 cups water 

-2 tablespoons dry basil 

Steps: 

1-Sauté carrots, celery, and onion in a pot for 5 minutes. 

2-Add potatoes, chicken stock, water, and dry basil to the mirepoix. 

3-Bring soup to a boil and let boil for 30 minutes. 

4-Remove pot from heat. Purée soup with an immersion blender. 

Taste soup before adding salt. Celery has some natural salt. 

Source: Ruth Paget – California 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Onion Canoe Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Onion Canoe Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

This savory and crunchy hors d’oeuvres is refreshing and does not fill you up so much that you cannot eat your main dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 large peeled and chopped onion

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 cup sour cream

-8 stalks washed celery

-paprika for sprinkling

Steps:

1-Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes.

2-Place onions in a bowl and add sour cream and mix.

3-Place the onion-sour cream mixture in the celery cavities.

4-Sprinkle paprika on top of the celery.  Cut the celery into 2-inch segments.

Place the celery segments on a tray and serve.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Onion Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Onion Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

French onion soup simmers for hours.  My onion soup takes 30 minutes to cook, but still has a nice brown broth color, because I use beef broth.  The French also use beef broth in their onion soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-3 large peeled and chopped onions

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-2 (32-ounce) containers beef broth

-32 ounces water

-4 slices toast, preferably from a French baguette

-2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Steps:

1-Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes in a soup pot.

2-Add beef broth and water to the soup pot.

3-Bring soup to a boil and let it boil for 30 minutes.

4-Place a slice of toast in the bottom of individual, oven-proof bowls.  Ladle onion soup over the toast slices and sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the soup.

5-Place each bowl of soup in the microwave for 2 minutes to melt the cheese and serve.

Serve soup warm with a chilled glass of your favorite beer.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Potato-Onion Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Potato-Onion Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

In its fancier forms a chilled soup made from potatoes and leeks is called vichyssoise.  Leeks are hard to come by in the United States and require a lot of trimming and rinsing to prepare them for kitchen use.

This humbler and warmer potato-onion soup fills you up and is easy to prepare.

You will need an immersion blender to prepare this soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoon olive oil

-2 large peeled and chopped onions

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-3 large peeled and chopped Idaho potatoes

-1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth

-32 ounces water

-1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence seasoning

-1 pint cream

Steps:

1-Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes in a soup pot.

2-Add potatoes, chicken broth, water, and Italian seasoning to the soup pot.

3-Bring soup to a boil and let it boil for 30 minutes.

4-Remove soup from heat and let cool.  Insert the immersion blender and purée the soup till smooth.  Stir in the cream and mix.

5-Ladle soup into individual bowls and reheat in the microwave.

Serve with your favorite toast.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

Ruth Paget Selfie