Monday, May 18, 2009

Ogres are like onions


Conversation between Shrek and Donkey

Ogres are like onions.  
They stink? 
Yes. no. 
Oh, they make you cry.
No.
Oh, you leave them out in the sun, they get all brown, 
start sproutin little white hairs.
NO. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions.

I do!  There are ready green onions, or scallions if you will, in my garden.  Aside from being a beautiful color on my garden these guys are great in the kitchen.  They are sweet because of the low sulfur and high water content and these guys don't store well, so you have to enjoy them in early spring and summer.  They go great with potato and pasta salads and bias scissor cut into soups, of course.  Green parts and all, providing they don't have flowers on their stalks.  Once they flower, they are woody and only useful in a glass vase in the kitchen.    Sweet onions rarely fly solo so when I tried to think of something they did alone, I got nothin.

A good recipe with onions this time of the year when it's warm is a nice marinated cucumber, tomato and sweet onion salad.  This one serves 4.

Cucumber, tomato sweet onion salad
  • 2 tomatoes, great for one red and one yellow
  • 1 C. garden onion or scallion or red onion or vidalia onion
  • 3 medium cucumbers, washed* and sliced thin
  • 1/4 C. Olive oil
  • 4 leaves basil (optional)
  • 1/8 C. granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 1/2 C. White wine vinegar
Combine last four ingredients.  Add cucumbers and toss to coat.  Marinate 1-2 hours.  Medium dice red and yellow tomatoes if using and place in bowl.  Add small amount of vinegar marinade to tomatoes, add olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped basil.  

To serve:   Place marinated tomatoes into circular shape in center of serving platter.  Fan cucumbers slices in circular shape around tomatoes.  Drizzle with vinegar mixture.  

* scrape down cucumber with a fork, removing trail of green skin for fancy schmancy effect

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