Did you know there are over 200 varieties of allium, the genus that gives us onions? This includes garlic, ramps, chives, and hundreds of others. Here we’ll talk about the most popular used in cooking. And we’ll share how to stuff an onion for dinner!

Sweet Onions

There are many onions that are sweet. Yellow sweet onions include varieties like walla walla, vidalia, and Mauis. These onions have less sulfur and water than other onions, giving them a milder taste. They are mild and crips and great for eating raw, frying into onion rings ^[1] and stuffing. Sweet onions aren’t usually cured like other yellow onions and tend to not last as long in storage.

^[1]

Red Onions

A crisp, spicy onion that is great for grilling. You’ll see them raw in salads, like Greek salads, and on sandwiches or burgers. This variety are fantastic pickled. You can ease some of the bite by soaking them in cold water for about 15 minutes. It helps draw some of the spiciness and adds to their crispness. These are sometimes referred to as Bermuda, however, the Bermuda onion is an entirely different variety.

White Onions

A milder, thinner skinned variety of storage onion. They have a spiciness to them, but the taste doesn’t linger in your mouth. These make great salsas and chutneys. Add thin slices to salads. Like red onions, a quick soak in some cold water will remove some of the spicy bite.

Yellow Onions (Brown onion)

The most commonly used onion with a long storage life. These onions have a strong bite and are best used in cooking. Their flavor is strong, but are perfect for caramelizing. Yellow Spanish onions are large and slightly milder (and hard to find). If a recipe calls for a Spanish onion, the standard variety of yellow or white will fit the bill.

Pearl Onions

These small, sweet little onions are perfect in stews or beef bourguignon. I like to roast them in garlic butter and fresh herbs and serve them as a side dish – but peeling them is a nightmare!! I prefer to buy the parboiled, pre-peeled bags in the freezer section at the grocery store.

Cipolline Onions

A small, slightly flat Italian variety – these are great to roast or caramelize. They are sugary and mild. And if you boil them with the skins on for a minutes or two, let them cool and then peel them, the skins come off much easier!

Shallots

I use these a lot! You can use them anywhere an onion is called for, but they are much milder than other onions. They work great raw and chopped for salad dressing and vinaigrettes – or cooked with a dish whole or halved. One thing to note, one shallot may include a couple of nodes (cloves), but, unlike garlic, one shallot is the whole thing, not one of the nodes.

Making the Stuffed Onion

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Start by removing the center of the onion. Cut the top off (leave the root end) and

then cut around the edges, leaving two or three layers intact.

Using a large spoon, scoop out the inside as close to the bottom and edges as possible, again, leaving two or three layers.

Place them in a deep casserole dish. Add the water and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes to slightly soften. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage.

When it’s almost cooked, add the garlic and red pepper to the pan. Cook gently for about 5 minutes.

Add the pasta and mix well. I was going to use orzo, the little rice shaped pasta, but I was out. I used regular egg noodles and chopped them after they were cooked. You can use any kind of pasta, whole or cut up.

Scoop the mixture into the onions.

Top each with the bread crumbs and them the parmesan.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Top each onion with a slice of mozzarella and

bake for another 15 or 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes, then serve.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

 

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I like simple. And I like tasty food. This one pan recipe is both!

What kind of Sausage do I use?

I made this recipe with hot Italian sausage, but you can use sweet too. Other good choices are bratwurst, andouille, or polish sausage. This recipe can be made with any sausage you like.

What kind of pasta and cheese go with different sausages?

I used rigatoni in this recipe. Orecchiette or ziti would be great choices too. Flat noodles would be great as well. They’d go perfect with the brats or the polish sausage.

As for cheese, any cheese would work. I used parmesan – a sharp hard cheese, and pecorino romano – a salty, nutty cheese. Swiss cheese would be great with the brats or polish sausage. The andouille would match nicely with some mozzarella and cheddar.

You might want to use an herb that compliments the sausages too. Basil is great with the Italian flavors, but sage or rosemary would be perfect with bratwurst or polish sausage. The andouille pairs well with thyme.

Choose the pasta and cheese on your own tastes. Be creative! Just keep in mind it’s all going into one pan!

Making the One Pan Sausage Bake –

First layer, the pasta. Spread it out evenly in a large casserole pan. Sprinkle with the olive oil and mix it well.

Top it with the onions, garlic and

the tomatoes. Pour the water over the top.

Sprinkle the chopped basil over that.

Next comes the cheese. Spread it evenly over the tomatoes.

Using a sharp knife, make several slits in the sausage on both sides. This will encourage the juices to fall into the pasta and help flavor the sauce.

Lay the sausage on top of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Turn the sausage and bake another 15 minutes.

Let it rest about 10 minutes before serving.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

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Are you looking for something unusual for breakfast? These potato “waffles” make a fantastic breakfast ^[10] for a holiday or Sunday morning. They are easy to make and totally delicious.

I had planned on freezing some to use at a later date, but my husband ate them all!!

What are hash browns?

The 1887 Kitchen Companion cookbook called these potatoes hashed browned potatoes. Made of boiled or cold leftover potatoes, they are browned in flat “pancake”, then folded like an omelet.

Hash means to chop, so, “hashed” potatoes are chopped potatoes. Here we’ve used modern technology and used shredded, frozen potatoes.

Making the hash brown waffles

Mix 2 eggs with the flour and spices. Whisk together and set aside. In another large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cheese and hash browns.

Pour the liquid into the dry bowl and gently stir to incorporate it all together.

Let is sit for about 15 minutes.

Heat a waffle iron (I used a Belgian waffle maker. They are deeper).

                                                                       

About 2/3 of a cup of the mixture goes into the waffle maker, close, and cook for about 5 minutes.

When they are done the waffles will be golden brown and will come off the iron easily. If it sticks, give it another minute or two.

Remove the waffle and set on a rack in the oven at 250 degrees. This will keep them warm until you are ready to serve.

When all the waffles are cooked, serve them with a soft egg on top and some chopped fresh chives.

Variations include adding meat, like ham, bacon or sausage. Use a different kind of cheese. Jack, swiss, gruyere, provolone and mozzarella are good options.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

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It’s National Homemade Bread day! Who can resist the smell of bread baking in the oven. The aroma permeates the entire house triggering salivation and rumbly stomachs. And then comes that warm, satisfying and taste bud bursting flavor of that warm, delectable loaf. Have I got ya now?

Bread has been around for centuries!

The Egyptians harvested a lot grain, presumably to make some loaves. The ruins of Pompeii had showed more than 30 bakeries in the city – the ovens were preserved in the ash. The rest is history!

Many people are afraid of making bread. It’s so easy! Whether it’s yeast or quick breads, nothing tastes better!

Most yeast breads require kneading. When flour combines with water, a sticky substance known as gluten forms. As it is kneaded, the yeast creates a gas that forms tiny little bubbles of CO2 gas throughout the dough and that makes the bread rise. The more you knead, the better the rise.  There are three types of yeast breads; loaves, rolls and donuts.

There are also three types of quick breads; a batter that is poured into the pan, like zucchini bread or cornbread; drop dough that is a thick batter, not unlike cookies (I like to make drop biscuits ^[15]); and finally, there are soft doughs. Cut biscuits are a great example of a soft dough.

All breads use some sort of leavening. In yeast breads, the yeast is the leavening. Quick breads use baking soda or baking powder – and they are not the same. Baking soda is made of bicarbonate of soda and requires an acid and liquid to be activated. Baking powder includes the acid – so its soda with an acid. And, as in the case of sourdough, a bacteria is used for the leavening.

This bread is so easy — It starts with refrigerator bread dough!

Making the Cheese Bread

Spray the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Open the dough container,

then carefully open the dough so it’s a large sheet.

Brush 1 Tablespoon of the melted butter on the top, then spread 1 cup of the grated cheese across the sheet.

Starting at the short end, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Carefully lay it, seam side down into the loaf pan.

Lightly cover the pan and let the dough rise in a warm place until it’s nearly double in size. Depending how warm it is, it could take one to three hours.

Brush the top with the remaining butter and then the cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. The top will be brown and the cheese golden. Keep a close watch on it so that it doesn’t burn. If the top gets too brown too quickly, turn the heat down to 350 and give it an extra 15 minutes.

Allow the bread to cool completely before you cut it.

If you don’t wait, the cheese will all ooze out.

Serve it warm! We enjoyed it with Corn and Potato Chowder ^[16].

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

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It’s National Calzone Day – A day to celebrate this folded pizza dough stuffed with mouthfuls of goodness!

What exactly is a Calzone?

Technically a calzone is literally a folded pizza. The dough is folded around your favorite pizza toppings, then sealed and baked into sort of a turnover or hand pie ^[21]. These little pies were created in Naples in the 1700s as a way to eat while they were walking.

The 1930s brought the term Calzone (literally means pants leg) and was used for any folded, fried or baked, pizza dough with various kinds of fillings that could be eaten while walking around.

Making the Calzone – 

This particular calzone is inspired by a muffaletta – an Italian sandwich made of cured meats, cheeses and olive dressing. It was created in New Orleans in the early 1900s by the Sicilian immigrants. Why not make it into a calzone?

Start with the pizza dough. I used store bought (my  favorite is Trader Joe’s), but you can use homemade.

Cut the dough into four equal portions.

Roll them all into a ball and flatten as much as possible. Let it rest about 10 or 15 minutes, then pull it out to make it large and flat. Be careful not to put holes in it.

Make the dressing by running olive tapenade, olive oil and the jardinere vegetable mix in a food processor. I also added one anchovy fillet.

Process until it’s chunky, but somewhat smooth.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the dressing mixture onto each circle of dough.

Lay the meats on half the circle – I used some dry salami, ham, pancetta, and prosciutto.

Top with the cheese.

 

Brush the edges of the dough circles with a little more olive oil, then fold and crimp the edges to seal.

Brush the tops lightly with melted butter and canned parmesan cheese. Cut vents into the tops with a sharp knife.

Place them in an air fryer and cook at 350 degrees for about 18 to 20 minutes.

Make sure the dough is cooked all the way through, then let them cool for five minutes. If your dough is too thick, it may take longer – thinner, a little less.

To bake them, lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!