Between our by-weekly Fall CSA pick-up days we have had time to catch up on some of our “to-do” list, or in Ken’s case making a new “to do” list…Caesar is adjusting to life without apprentices, but he really looks forward to pick-up days. Today Ken and Caesar are sorting out the lumber in the storage getting ready to saw more logs. We have wood for sale, for any interested woodworkers. There is also an opportunity to have it sawn to their own specifications.
I have had some time to post some recipes. We ended up with a bumper onion crop this year and I am posting a couple of my favourite onion recipes. A number of years ago a German friend of ours introduced us to onion pie as a main course dish and I have always been a fan of French onion soup.
ONION PIE
(Zwiebel Kuchen)
A main- dish pie of German origin
Pastry for baked 10” shell:
1 ½ cup sifted flour
¾ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. caraway seeds (optional)
½ cup shortening
2 to 3 tbsp. water
Combine flour, salt and caraway. Add shortening; cut into flour until mixture resembles small peas and coarse cornmeal.
Stir water in lightly with fork; stir until mixture adheres and follows fork around blow.
Turn onto floured board; roll to 1/2” thickness. Fit into 10” pie pan.
Filling:
3 cups peeled onions, thickly sliced
3 tbsp. melted butter
½ cup milk
1 ½ cup sour cream
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, well beaten
3 tbsp. flour
Bacon slices (optional)
To make filling: Sauté onions in fat until lightly browned. Spoon into pastry shell.
Add milk, 1 ¼ cup sour cream and salt to eggs.
Blend flour with remaining ¼ cup sour cream. Combine with egg mixture; pour over onion mixture.
Bake in slow oven 325 degrees F. 30 minutes, or until firm in center.
Garnish with crisp bacon. Makes 8 servings.
FRENCH ONION SOUP
½ cup butter
4 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup red wine
3 heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth
1 baguette, cut into croutons
½ pound grated cheese (a mix of aged Cheddar and Swiss is nice)
Melt butter in a large pan; add onions, garlic. Fry in butter until soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer until wine is evaporated, stirring as needed. Add flour and cook stirring on low heat for about 10 minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour. Now add the beef broth, bring soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
When you’re ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Put croutons into oven ready bowls, ladle the soup on top and cover with grated cheese. Put under broiler until cheese melts.