The Sweetest Onion in the West

            The best and sweetest onion in the Northwest, the Walla Walla is only available for a short time each year. Their high sugar content is what makes these huge yellow onions so perishable. It’s also what makes them so succulent. My dad used to eat them like apples.

             Even here in Oregon, the legendary Washington State onion is available everywhere. Burgerville and other restaurants feature Walla Walla onion rings, and I've seen them in every grocery store. Winco has 5lb. bags for under $3. That's enough for rings, burgers, kabobs, or a pot of soup. I make a batch every year, even though it's not really soup weather this time of year.

            The first time I made it for the grandkids, aged 2 and 5 at the time, I was afraid the flavor might be too strong for them. It wasn't. They both loved it. I usually serve the soup topped with a slice of toasted French bread (fresh from the Safeway bakery) and melted cheese. This year, since acquiring a bread machine (a gift from my wonderful son-in-law, Jimmy) the fresh French bread will come straight from our kitchen.

           This is my version of the classic French onion soup.

SWEET ONION & BACON SOUP
4 or more generous servings

 
4-6 large Walla Walla sweet onions, coarsely chopped

6 strips of bacon

6 cups beef broth 

1tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup red wine 

Salt and pepper

1 large bay leaf

Toasted baguette slices

Sliced provolone, mozzarella or Jack cheese

Trim excess fat from bacon and cut into thin strips. In a heavy pan, cook the bacon pieces until nearly crisp on medium-high heat. Add onions. Brown slowly until caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

 Add wine and allow alcohol to evaporate, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth. Season with salt, pepper, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours to allow flavor to develop. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Top each baguette slice with a slice of cheese. Place under the broiler for a minute or two, until cheese is bubbly. Pour hot soup into serving bowls and top with a cheese toast. Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan or paprika, if desired.

The Recipe That Changed My Life

 

            When I was a teenager I was heavily involved in 4-H with dogs, horses, textiles and food preparation. As a junior in high school, I lived for the summer activities of horse and dog shows and county fairs. My first, and so far only, venture into competitive cooking came when I was sixteen. My best friend and I decided we would enter not only the baked goods category, but also a class titled "Plan a Meal".  The object was to plan the menu for a nutritious dinner, including an appetizer course and dessert; create a table setting appropriate for the meal, complete with centerpiece; and last, but not least, actually prepare the entrée.

            I had discovered a dish in the "Joy of Cooking" called Braised Pork Chops Creole. Having made it for my family several times, I decided that this would be my entry.  The day of the competition, I got up early and prepared everything. It had occurred to me earlier that I would have to transport the saucy dish from home to the fairgrounds. Borrowing mom's crock-pot seemed like a great way to keep the stuff hot.

            I arrived at the fairgrounds purposely early. There would be plenty of time for everything to re-heat. Plugging in the crock-pot, I went on about my business. When it was time for judging, I returned to my station. My place setting had earned a blue ribbon (top 10% in the 4-H world) and my menu a red. Apparently, I went a little heavy on the starch, and a little light on the green leafy vegetables.

            Now it was time for the judge to taste my dish. She sat across the table, a stack of small paper plates and plastic utensils at her side. An older lady, she had an air of friendly intimidation. Confidently, I lifted the lid to my creation. To my horror, the entire top was a pool of grease. Not knowing what else to do, I gulped and served up a portion, carefully trying to dip the sauce from the bottom. Thankfully, Madam Judge was kind. She rated the flavor of the meat as excellent, also the texture and tenderness. However, the sauce was ruined. She suggested that next time I remove the bone from the chops, and trim all possible fat.

            I didn't earn a ribbon, but I did learn something. I had not realized how much fat was hidden in the chops. I'd always served them right away, so the excess had stayed hidden within the meat. The additional heating time spent sitting in the crock-pot had released it into the sauce. Though a mildly embarrassing lesson, it was a valuable one. I have been diligent in my trimming, and always bone the chops in this dish.

            Shortly thereafter, I met my future husband. One Saturday, when we had been dating for about three months, he came over to help my Dad build a fence. I cooked dinner that night, and made Pork Chops Creole. Years later, he said that was the night he knew he wanted to marry me someday. So even in the last quarter of the twentieth century, the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. I imagine it still can be. Here it is, almost thirty-four years later, and it's still a favorite.

            For a really fabulous version, use smoked pork chops.

Creole Style Pork Chops                

Serves 4

4 center-cut loin pork chops, boned and trimmed well

½ cup flour seasoned with pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika

1 med. onion, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced, optional

1 - 15oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 - 6oz can tomato paste

3 tbsp. olive oil

Combine tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir until well blended. Pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 2.5 liter casserole. Fold the vegetables into the rest. Add a little water if necessary.  Set aside.

Trim chops of all excess fat. Rinse and pat dry. Place seasoned flour in a plastic zipper bag. Shake chops in flour, one at a time.

Heat oil on medium high in heavy skillet. Brown floured chops until golden. Remove from heat. Lay browned chops on sauce in casserole dish. Pour vegetable-tomato mixture on top of the meat.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until thickest part of chop reads 165°. 

Serve on a bed of white/wild rice blend, with a green salad.

Variation:

Use 4 fully cooked, smoked pork chops. Remove the bone, if present, trim excess fat, and reduce the baking time to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Saturday Night in Paradise

The backyard barbecue has always been a large part of summer for our family. Being natives of the rainy Pacific Northwest, we learned from an early age to take advantage of any sunny weekend. This made for some very spontaneous parties. Often put together on a whim, the menu varied incredibly. Sometimes, especially on a Friday evening after work, we would do a “bring your own” scenario. Whoever was hosting the event would provide condiments, chips, a side dish or two, and the barbeque to cook on. Friends and their kids would come over, and bring whatever grill-able meat they happened to have on hand. This ranged from hotdogs, burgers and brats to pork chops, ribs or steak. Strangely enough, chicken didn’t happen that often. These days, the parties are at my daughter and son-in-laws house, and with our crazy schedules, can happen any day of the week. 



When there is actual planning involved, our patio parties are even better. Sometimes a freshly caught salmon or trout, or a couple of smoked chickens. A butterflied leg of lamb marinated for a couple of days and grilled to a medium-rare perfection, was my mother-in-law’s specialty. Pricey, it was a treat usually only she prepared. There would be fresh tossed salad from our garden, pineapple baked beans, homemade pasta or potato salads.
 

Cascade Lake trout on the grill

I admit, I have been known to buy “deli” potato salad and doctor it up to taste more like homemade. Just add a couple of chopped hardboiled eggs, some diced sweet or dill pickle, and a little extra mayo. I never try to pass it off as my own, although I didn’t volunteer the information. If anyone asks, I cop to it. Beverages range from ice tea, soda and milk, to wine coolers and beer. The kids play on the lawn as the sun goes down and the citronella candles are lit. The pungent fragrance of the candles mingles with the aroma of briquettes and barbeque.  Laughter, music and conversation drifted on the breeze, the sounds of Saturday night in paradise.

Grilled Leg of Lamb

1 leg of lamb, boned and butterflied (the meat cutter at your supermarket can do this)

2 cups Italian salad dressing

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 package Béarnaise sauce mix, prepared

Trim the excess fat from the lamb, making sure to remove all the “silver skin”. Place in a shallow baking dish. Rub both sides with crushed garlic. Pour the dressing over the meat. Cover and marinate overnight.

Grill over hot coals or gas, turning several times until thickest part of roast is done to medium-rare. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Slice thinly across the grain.

Serve with Béarnaise sauce on the side