Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Bloomin' Onions...

Actually, that should read onion blossoms or flowers. I saw these at the farmers' market this past Saturday and I could not resist! Here's a before picture.



Tonight was a grill night. I made aluminum foil packets for my veggies and roasted them at the same time as the chicken thighs. I put the blossom tops in a packet with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and smoked salt.  (The stems are edible, but take longer to soften up).



I also peeled and diced ribbon beets I got at the farmers' market two weeks ago but hadn't used yet. They are so pretty! Like candy cane beets, but not so minty! I prepared them the same way.


The onion flowers became so soft! The farmer, Trace, advised me to eat them like a roasted garlic bulb; eat the inside and discard the outside. The flavor was reminiscent of garlic, but much milder. I ate them straight, no bread needed. I would definitely buy them again.

The rest of the dinner included grilled chicken thighs with tzatziki sauce (I have got to figure out a different recipe for cucumbers, since I don't like them in salad,) sautéed kale from the farmers' market and roasted small potatoes. Sadly, I bought the potatoes at the supermarket. 

Also, I've decided that chicken thighs are so much more delicious than chicken breasts. (That makes me a leg-girl?) The taste is deeper and richer, especially when seasoned with smoked sea salt. 


The onion flowers are the top left. Unfortunately, the ribbon beets lost their shiny, pink luster when roasted although no taste disappeared. Tzatziki sauce tastes better after a day or two because the garlic has deepened and spread through the yogurt. 

Any cucumber suggestions? Maybe I'll make little sandwiches with cucumber as the bread and cream cheese and smoked salmon as the inside.

2 comments:

Michele Gutierrez-Exelbirt said...

Delicious! I have those onion bulbs growing wildly in my yard... we have been eating them raw.. so strange that its the first season we have seen them... I also have two bunches of coriander growing wildly.... YOu made me hungry for some roasted bulbs!

LoriD said...

Hey Ruth! Here are some ideas for your cucumbers: a cucumber soup, a cucumber drink, or a cucumber salsa? I've seen these kinds of recipes around, but I've never tried them. Let us know if you try any of them and how they turn out! :)

Those onions sound delicious! I keep forgetting about using aluminum foil as a tray/bag for veggies on the grill... Yum!