This weekend I visited a friend in Oswego, New York. You might recognize the name of the town from the winter of 2006-07, when Oswego got something like eight feet of snow in a week. Besides snowbanks, the area around Oswego also grows apples, onions, potatoes (usually consumed as “salt potatoes“) and other veggies, which you can buy at Ontario Orchards. (The orchard is a trove of local foods – pasta, Canale’s pasta sauces, honey, maple syrup, meats, and cheeses…)
We were there twice this weekend, and I finally caved and bought the beauty that had caught my eye many times before. I’d actually checked luggage on this trip to bring a now-delivered wedding present…so I had the room. And for five bucks? I couldn’t resist. So that’s why I hauled home a ten-pound bag of locally-grown sweet yellow onions.
Of course, I had to dive in as soon as I got home. I’d been thinking a French Onion soup is in my near future, but I didn’t have time to make stock tonight. Well, how about starting with a pile of melted onions and seeing what else I had in the fridge? Here’s what I came up with.
Onions and Asparagus
- Thinly slice one medium-sized onion into crescents.
- “Melt” the onions over medium-low heat with a good glug of olive oil until they are soft and sweet (10 minutes or more).
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and add half a pound of asparagus cut into 1-inch lengths.
- Add 1/2 cup cooked and rinsed black beans, and season with salt, garlic powder, and a little cayenne.
- Serve over brown rice.
Anyone have favorite things to do with an absurd blessing of onions?
