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Healthy, fresh vegetables grown from a personal garden patch |
Tears before I’ve chopped onions!
Clare Latimer struggles to get connected out in the countryside before being reminded of the benefits of rustic living by neighbours’ home-grown veg
I HAVE just come down to my cottage for a relaxing holiday and was expecting to slip into a stress-free zone straight away. Not so!
Firstly, my broadband was cutting in and out so after one hour telling almost the entire BT exchange my name, details and pressing endless numbers into my phone, I got Mr BT to come round.
He had a cup of tea and changed a filter and then left. Problem not solved. So again, one hour on the phone speaking to the rest of the BT team in Britain and India. Mr BT came again and, after new wiring in the next village, problem solved.
I then needed to transfer some money at Barclays bank, but because my bank manager was on holiday it could not be done over the phone under any circumstances. Mind-boggling service. So, back to the nearest town to find a Barclays.
Very helpful local bank manager, so after another hour that was sorted.
Back to the cottage to find that my email server had crashed, so at bursting point I went next door for a rescue cup of tea.
We sat out on their patio, sun blazing down and onions drying all around our feet. The vegetable patch in the background was lush with carrots, beetroots, lettuces and many other goodies. Tea drunk, an armful of amazing fresh vegetables and I was back in happy land. My neighbours have enough vegetables to last them the whole year from just a smallish patch. Healthy, fresh vegetables without a chemical in sight and low cost – what could be better? I will now share my onion thoughts with you.
Onions in white sauce
If you read all the good things onions can do, such as ward off cancer, heart attacks etc, you would make them your sole food! Egyptians found that they cured 8,000 ailments. Setting these facts aside, it is certainly worth eating some onion most days. This recipe is hardly ever done and is one of my favourite comfort foods. It can make a supper dish or be served as a vegetable as part of a main course. The onion water can be used to make soup if you wish.
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 large Spanish type onions, peeled
50g butter
50g flour
10 fl oz milk
50g Cheddar cheese, grated, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method
Put the onions into a large saucepan and cover with water. Add some salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about one hour depending on the size of the onions. They will be soft through when cooked. Strain and keep the onion water.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and then add the flour and stir well. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously to make a smooth white sauce. Stir in the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Add some onion water if too thick.
Put the onions into a dish and pour over the white sauce and serve hot.
Onion rings in beer batter
These remind me of cheap and nasty pubs but homemade ones are fabulous if not a bit naughty – we have to have treats sometimes! Any beer will do but a good dark brown ale will give a nuttier flavour.
Ingredients
Serves 6
375g flour
2 eggs, separated
230ml beer
50g butter, melted
Salt
3 large onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings
Vegetable oil for frying.
Method
Sift the flour into a bowl and set aside about 175g flour for coating the onion rings.
In a blender, whisk the egg yolks, beer, melted butter, the rest of the flour and salt until smooth. Leave this mixture to stand for half an hour.
For deep frying heat the oil in a saucepan to 190C or 375F. Pour the batter mix into a bowl and then whisk the egg whites and fold into the batter mix. Coat each onion ring with the remaining flour and then dip into the batter. Lower into the hot fat with tongs and fry about six at a time. When golden brown remove with the tongs and drain on kitchen towel. Repeat and then serve warm. |
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