Paddle Meals: Onion Family on Tour

September-October 1994

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Brenda Gaertner

These recipes were inspired by our August harvest of onions and shallots, and the bulking up of the leeks in the garden. As the onion braids were being readied for the drying room we browsed through recipes looking for tantalizing ways to experiment with the varieties we have grown. And of course camp cooking came to mind because onions travel well and make excellent bases for pastas or rice dishes. Pack them loosely (not air tight). Find as many different varieties (red, white and yellow onions, red and yellow shallots).

I don't think leeks would last very long and so plan to use them very early in the trip or leave them behind. One of the pasta recipes calls for stock; without question homemade stock is preferable, but I think that means carrying a frozen container of stock and using it quite early in the trip. Otherwise bouillon cubes will do.

Shallots, Onions and Leeks with Pasta

handfuls of shallots,
small red onions,
yellow or white onions and leeks
garlic butter or olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh or dried thyme,
parsley
vegetable or chicken stock
pasta

Be generous with your estimate of how many onions will be necessary for the number of people you are serving. Trim and chop the onions, leaving any small onions whole. Chop the garlic. Saut_ in the butter or oil until they just begin to brown. Season with salt, pepper and the thyme and add the stock. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The sauce should reach a soupy consistency. Cook the pasta and toss it with some butter or olive oil and salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce and the onions over the noodles and garnish with parsley.

Caramelized Onions with Linguine and Walnuts

4 large red onions
1/2 c. walnuts
2 T. butter,
2 T. olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 t. chopped rosemary
3 t. fresh sage or thyme
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. water
salt, pepper
grated Gruyere & parmesan cheese

If you can get rosemary pasta, choose that for this dish. Roast the walnuts (in your frying pan if you watch them carefully). Quarter and slice the onions thinly and as close to the same size as possible. Warm the butter and the oil slowly with the bay leaves, rosemary and sage or thyme. Add the onions and salt. Stir well to coat and then cook slowly over low heat (the trick here is slow steady cooking without browning or burning the onions), stirring occasionally. Then as they begin to caramelize, stir more frequently until the onions are deep golden-brown. Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic and wine. Increase the heat and cook until the wine is syrupy and then add the water. Cook until sauce consistency. Boil the pasta. Add it the onions along with half the walnuts and the Gruyere cheese. Toss well and serve, garnishing with the remaining walnuts and parmesan.