Recipe: An Onion a Day Keeps the Doctor Away (article and cooking tips)

AN ONION A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

In cooking, onion adds fundamental flavor to dishes. Saute, simmer, or roast onions until the sulfur compounds in them are gentled and the natural sugars they contain caramelize, and they add appealing sweetness, too. (To share an amusing experience, when Vidalia onions, a sweet variety from Georgia, first arrived in stores up north, in the early 80's, I used a bag of them to make onion soup. It was so sweet it was inedible, tasting like cups of sugar had been poured into it!)

Mostly in countries outside the U.S. do onions get the respect they truly deserve. I saw plump, sweet and sour stuffed onions for the first time when I visited Morocco, then found that they are a served in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. On trips to Puglia and Sicily, I discovered that in some regions of Italy, it is common to use tons of onions and heaps of leeks, but little or no garlic.

Garlic is good for your health, but you would be wise to use onions liberally, too. They are a rich source of sulfur compounds that stimulate production of enzymes responsible for neutralizing free radical compounds associated with the risk of cancer. Among the 25 cancer-fighting compounds they contain, quercitin is a potent antioxidant. This member of the lily family also helps ward off cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and infections.

Cooking onions does not seem to significantly reduce the potency of their benefits, as it does with garlic. How you cook them changes their texture and flavor in different ways.

Saute onions and they become sweet and soft as they caramelize and turn golden. Add broth, vinegar, and rosemary, and keep on cooking them until they melt down into what chefs call a confit or marmalade. It is delicious served on crostini or accompanying a chicken breast.

Sweat onions by cooking them over low heat, in a tightly covered pot with just a dab of oil or broth, and they will release their juices, producing intense flavor. Try this next time you are making soup. Roasting turns whole onions tender, just a bit sweet, and leaves them wonderfully succulent inside.

Recipe: Moroccan Stuffed Onions

Source: Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research