See? These onions got us through all the salsa and tomato sauce we canned as well as through the entire winter until we could start pulling up baby onions in the spring as we needed them. Last year? Last year, for whatever reason, left us with only enough onions to get us through the canning season, so we've had to buy onions all winter long (making it the only vegetable we've bought). This has grated on me like nothing else.
So! We are really hoping that this year's crop will be abundant. And a new reason for that hope? This recipe for Onion Pie. I know, I know. It sounds weird, but this is so good I seriously almost want to call it a dessert and I don't think that this is just because I haven't had sugar in over a month. Just look at the ingredients. Go on, look! See? It's heavenly. You may feel a bit guilty, it tastes so good. But then you'll remember these words...
"Onions contain a fair amount of vitamin C with traces of other vitamins and minerals." - Food Lover's Companion
Okay, well, we don't know how much a "fair amount" is, but my point is that onions are good for you and we all want to avoid those spring-time colds going around, right? And, to convince you further, Sam said "Yummy!" (after fussing for 5 minutes because he thought he wouldn't like it- sound familiar?) and Sadie said, "Yum!" My kids really have a grasp on the diversity of the English language, don't they? Okay, enough said. Here you go.
Onion Pie (Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2003)
I followed the recipe like a good girl and it was lovely. Next time, I will use a regular pie crust because I don't always have Bisquick on hand. I'm sure it will be just as lovely.
1 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup milk (skim is fine)
Cooking Spray
1 tbsp. butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk (skim is fine)
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix together Bisquick and 1/3 cup milk. It will be very sticky. Coat your hands or the back of a spoon with cooking spray and press the dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Melt butter in a large skillet, add onion and saute until tender- do not allow them to brown. Spoon prepared onions into the bottom of the Bisquick pie crust. In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, egg, milk and salt. Mix well. The mixture will be a little lumpy. That's okay. Pour the egg mixture over the onions and bake your pie at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let set 10 minutes before serving. Indulge!
I think it sounds delicious! But I also love onions. And if I remember correctly from when I was having my Iron shortage, onions do contain Iron as well. One more reason to love them! And cream cheese? How can you go wrong?
ReplyDeleteI hear you - we love our onions around here. I attribute the reason none of us ever get sick (well hardly ever) to all the onions and garlic we take in daily. I just took pics of my garden yesterday and my onions are standing at attention - the watermelon - yea, not so much. I'll probably lose that fight. Your blog is food for my soul, i tell you.
ReplyDeleteThat picture of the onions in the barn is GLORIOUS! What a blessing to have such a harvest. And I love onions no matter how they are served, so this recipe would be another excuse to eat some. Have you ever had an onion tart? It is very similar but has herbs added. I'll have to dig that recipe out sometime and share it with you since you are a fellow onion lover.
ReplyDeleteHow do keep onions over the winter? Do you tie them up like your garlic? I've had a bushel full but they always go bad for me. I would plant more this year too if I knew I could get them to keep all year.Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh my, yes. This will be promptly getting made. (Excuse the garbled sentence. I'm excited.)
ReplyDeleteKaren P., We let the onion braids hang in the barn to cure, bringing them in before the first frost. I braid them just like I braid our garlic although I don't care as much about how they look. Then, we hang them in our small outer mud room which is not heated, but it shares a door with the heated house. We bring them in as needed and they keep very well. So, I would try curing them and then hanging them. May we all be inundated with many onions this year!:-)
ReplyDeleteK, I need advise on the best way to grow blueberries in Utah. We are in zone 6/7 and all I know is that they need very acidic soil. How long do the bushes take to bear fruit? I also want advise on raspberry canes. Thanks friend!
ReplyDeleteMay your onion crop be proseperous this year 'cause that onion pie looks so good. I did not know that onions were a great source of vitamin C!!
ReplyDeleteI recieved my wonderful notecards yesterday and just love them and wanted to say Thank You so much for the chance to own a set of these!!
They are stunning!
oooooooooo....i didn't know you could care for onions like you do garlic (braiding). Definitely gonna try that this year *praying for enough onions to braid!* Also, you may know this (I just uncovered it on a blog a few months ago) but you can "make" bisquick at home. Since we've tried this...there's no going back to the store bought stuff. It's WAY more expensive! (especially since you probably have the ingredients in your pantry/cupboards already)
ReplyDelete2 c. flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 c. shortening
Combine dry ingredients. Add shortening and mix with pastry blender until even crumbs are made. Keep in covered container in refrigerator. Use in any Bisquick recipe.
I found this recipe at safelygatheredin(dot)blogspot(dot)com where she also has a larger, bulk, Bisquick recipe.
Kierstin,
ReplyDeleteWe've had really bad luck with blueberries here (so should not be doling out advice!), but grow red raspberries with success. Here is a great article that covers all manner of berries...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Growing-Berries.aspx
Christy, Thanks for the recipe! One of my cookbooks has a recipe for baking mix, too, but I have yet to try it. Thanks for the recommendation:-).
A couple years ago we were the opposite of you and still struggling to get a half way decent crop of onions growing. Our problem was that I was still messing around with set onions that often bolt or don't store well for us because of the temperature fluctuations we often have in the spring. As soon as we started seeding our own everything got much better in the onion department. Your not the only one that frets over having to buy onions, we hated running out half way through the winter.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your onions this year...I bet you will have lots.:) The pie sounds delicious.
Wait - what? braiding onions? curing?...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be honest and just tell you up front that I know next to nothing about growing my own veggies but I am hoping to learn tons vicariously through reading your blog. =) I was *going* to try my hand at a small garden plot this year, but I think I'm just going to spend this year preparing soil and building a compost pile and trying to keep some flowers alive. Maybe after I'd done some more reading and learning I might try a few fall items. If I feel brave enough. =)
Made the pie (in a regular crust and added bacon) and it was marvelous. Really, truly marvelous.
ReplyDelete