COOK OF THE WEEK - VIDALIA ONIONS

My husband brought home a 10-pound sack of Vidalia onions last week. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that we have them in the house. I love onions. And these are the best! I decided since the Shriner’s Club sold these and a lot of people purchased these in the past few weeks in the Humboldt area that is what I would write about this week. I went online to find the history or story of the Vidalia onion and this is what I found. There are probably many stories out there but this looked like it went back quite a ways. I’m only using parts of the story so you won’t get bored too soon! (I hope!!) I’ve put their words in italics and within quotes.
“The Vidalia Onion Story takes root in Toombs County, GA, over 80 years ago when a farmer by the name of Moses Coleman discovered in the late spring of 1931, the onions he had planted were not hot as he expected. They were sweet! It was a struggle to sell the onions at first, but Moses persevered and managed to sell them for $3.50 per 50-pound bag, which in those days was a big price.
In the 1940s, the State of Georgia built a Farmer’s Market in Vidalia, and because the small town was at the juncture of some of South Georgia’s most widely traveled highways, the market had a thriving tourist business. Word began to spread about “those Vidalia onions.”
Consumers, then, gave the onions their famous name. Through the 50s and 60s, production grew at a slow but steady pace, reaching some 600 total acres by the mid 70s. At that point, a push was made for Vidalia Onions to be distributed throughout the nation, and several promotional efforts were begun. Onion festivals became an annual event in both Vidalia and nearby Glennville, GA, and production grew tenfold over the next decade.”
My onions came from a farm in Glennville, GA.
“In 1986, Georgia’s state legislature passed legislation giving the Vidalia onion legal status and defining the 20-county production area. The Vidalia onion was named Georgia’s Official State Vegetable by the state legislature in 1990.
In 1989, Vidalia onion producers united to establish Federal Marketing Order No. 955 for the crop. This USDA program established the Vidalia Onion Committee and extended the definition of a Vidalia onion to the Federal level. The Marketing Order provided a vehicle for producers to jointly fund research and promotional programs.
Beginning in 1990, technology borrowed from the apple industry was adapted to begin the controlled atmosphere (CA) storage of Vidalia onions. Now some 20,000,000 pounds of Vidalia onions can be put into CA storage for up to six months, thus extending the marketing of the Vidalia’s through the fall and into the holiday season.
In 1991, the Vidalia Onion Committee began to annually honor one individual with introduction into the Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame. The committee considers the recipient’s character, reputation and overall contribution to the growth and success of the Vidalia onion. Inductees must be a leader in one or more of the following areas: protecting and promoting the name of the Vidalia onion; protecting and promoting the quality of the Vidalia onion; advertising and promoting the Vidalia onion; sales of Vidalia onions and creative selling methods; or research and growth development of the Vidalia onion.”
Without even a recipe I’ve fresh fried potatoes and onions together to go with any meat we might be having. Maybe this comes from living on a farm, I’m not sure. I’ve searched my recipe books and online for recipes using onions as a main ingredient. I hope you will enjoy reading and using these recipes as much as I have had searching them. I’m hungry already. Enjoy!!
Apple Vidalia Casserole
4 large Vidalia Onions, sliced
into l/8-inch slices
4 medium apples, peeled and
sliced into l/8-inch slices
6 slices of cooked bacon,
crumbled (reserve fat)
2 slices white bread, cubed
3/4 cup chicken broth
Layer Vidalia onions, apples and bacon in a 2-quart casserole. Pour chicken broth into bottom of casserole. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. While baking, sauté bread cubes in 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Uncover casserole and dot with bread cubes and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Vidalia Divan
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1-1/2 cups chopped Vidalia
onions
1 cup sour cream
10-3/4 ounce can cream of
broccoli soup
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread
crumbs
2 tablespoons melted margarine
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole. In a large bowl combine the chicken, Vidalia onions, sour cream, soup and cheese. Mix well. Pour into casserole dish. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, melted margarine, and poppy seeds. Mix well. Sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Creamy Scallop, Shrimp
and Vidalia Casserole
8 frozen phyllo pastry sheets,
thawed and divided
Vegetable cooking spray
2-1/2 pounds unpeeled, medium
size fresh shrimp
(2) 10 ounce packages frozen
chopped spinach, thawed
5 tablespoons butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Vidalia sweet onion
1 pound fresh bay scallops
8 ounce package cream cheese,
softened
8 ounce container sour cream
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Peel shrimp and devein. Drain spinach well, pressing between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add garlic and onion, sauté until tender (do not brown). Add shrimp and scallops; cook 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in cream cheese and next 4 ingredients until blended; remove from heat. Stir in spinach.
Melt remaining ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking constantly; cook 1 minute. Gradually add half-and-half; cook, whisking constantly, 6 minutes or until thickened. Stir flour mixture into shrimp mixture. Spoon into prepared baking dish.
Stack phyllo sheets, coating each sheet with cooking spray. Cut into thin strips, using a pizza cutter. Arrange strips, in a lattice pattern, over casserole; coat strips with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Potatoes and
Vidalia Sweet Onions
4 Russet potatoes, sliced
4 Vidalia Onions, sliced
butter
freshly ground pepper
sour cream (light version is fine)
Place a piece of foil in a baking pan and layer sliced potatoes and sliced Vidalia Onions on top of foil. Top with pats of butter and generously grind pepper over top. Repeat layers until potatoes and Vidalia Onions are used up. Wrap foil around potatoes and Vidalia Onions. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour. Serve and top with sour cream.

Easy Tempura Onion Rings
4 medium to large Vidalia
onions
1 cup flour
1 cup beer (or water)
1 egg
1 tsp. seasoning salt
vegetable oil
Mix together egg, salt, water or beer and flour. Slice onion and separate into rings, or quarter the onions and separate the layers for a boat-like shape. Cook in vegetable oil at 375 degrees until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Onion/Pepper Relish
3 large Vidalia onions
12 red bell peppers
12 green bell peppers
1 hot pepper
Chop all very fine; put into boiling water and boil 20 minutes. Drain. Pour boiling water over contents of pot and boil again for 15 minutes; drain and add:
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 quart white vinegar
Boil 10 minutes and put in jars and seal while hot or use your own method of canning that you wish by water bath or pressure cooker.

Apple-Vidalia
Upside-Down Cake
(Vidalia Restaurant - This is one of several innovative specialties at Vidalia Restaurant and Bistro Bis, a well-known Washington, DC, fine dining establishment. It‘s more on the custard side than the cake side, and the caramelized Vidalia Onions definitely give it a savory finish.)
1 cup Vidalia Onions, peeled
and cut into 1-inch strips (1
jumbo onion or 2 small
onions)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, halved and cut into
1/8 inch slices
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons double-acting
baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar for
dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Vidalia onions on a sheet pan greased with the vegetable oil and bake in oven for 45 minutes to caramelize. Remove and then bake sliced apples for 5 minutes. Remove. Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet and add the brown sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and add the caramelized onions.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla and granulated sugar. Mix well. Line a 9-inch greased cake pan with parchment paper. Make a layer of the Vidalia onion mixture and then a layer of apple slices.
Cover with the batter. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Reverse the pan onto a serving tray and sift confectioner’s sugar lightly over the top of the cake.

Vidalia Onion Chocolate Chip Cookies - Yes, Cookies!
1 cup butter-softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
chips
1 cup Vidalia onion, small diced
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a mixer, cream butter in a large bowl, beating until light and fluffy, slowly add in the sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each, then add vanilla and beat just until smooth. By hand, stir in flour, salt and baking soda until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Rinse the Vidalia onions with very cold water and drain well. Fold the Vidalia onions into the dough to blend. Drop by large spoonfuls on cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the community, YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Redenius, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com.
I will be happy to email or send you my short questionnaire and set up a time to come and visit you at your convenience. I’m always looking for NEW Cooks of the Week. Also, if you are new in town, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the Humboldt community and surrounding communities. I look forward to visiting with you.
The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.