Chef Brian Henry

The Humble Onion

One of the most frequently asked questions that I get is “ How do you chop onions without crying?” The answer is simple… don’t chop onions.

Cutting onions can be one of the most miserable of kitchen chores.  With our sniffly noses and tears streaming down our cheeks we can easily see why onions sulphurous characteristics were originally designed to repel animals from eating them.

The reason that our bodies react in this way is that when you cut through an onion, you release the chemical contents of the onion’s cells. These chemicals combine and create a sulphur-based gas known as lachrymator, which is also an ingredient, found in Tear Gas. When this gas comes in contact with your nose and eyes it turns into sulphuric acid causing a burning sensation and naturally we begin to cry.

To minimize the tearful effects of chopping onions and keeping snot out of your food I recommend that you place your onions in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, as this will slow down the movement of the tear inducing sulphur elements. Another effective yet somewhat awkward method is to try cutting the ends off of your onions under cold running water. Then allow them to soak in cold water for half an hour before chopping them. If your going to be cooking your onions right away, you can try placing them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on high as this helps release the gasses prior to chopping. Ultimately if you do not want to cry over onions you will need to wear a pair of goggles and a nose plug in your kitchen. Be sure to remove your protective clothing before your dinner guests arrive.

Onions appear in almost every cuisine found on the planet. There are over 500 varieties of onions of which only twenty are used for culinary purposes. They are most often used as a sub-ingredient to help build the foundation for great tasting soups and sauces. On occasion we see onions being used as the primary ingredient in recipes like French Onion soup, Onion bread or onion rings. In these recipes we get to enjoy the true sweet flavour that onions have to offer.

You can use any variety of onion to make the recipe below but I prefer to use red Italian onions as it has a striking purplish red color that is preserved well by the red wine vinegar.

Red Onion Marmalade

3 cups of diced red onions

One cup red wine vinegar

One tbsp. Humble Pie , from The Spice Co. naturally…

2  cups granulated sugar

In a large sized sauce pot combine the diced onions, apple cider, vinegar and sage. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and return to a boil for two to three minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to simmer for five more minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow the onion s to cool. Store the onion marmalade in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.

You can serve the Red Onion marmalade as a condiment to enhance the flavor of a number of dishes. It makes for a light alternative to horseradish in beef dishes and is delicate enough to be served with poached or smoked salmon. I like to pair it with triple creamed Brie some grapes and a baguette.

Humble Pie, from The Spice Co. naturally

Do you want learn how to make a great sandwich?

Alright so the following bits of culinary information and recipes are easy to prepare and perfect for the novice cook, which I assure you will make you look like a master.  First and foremost it is important to go easy with the rubs and start off using them lightly as you can always add more, but it is hard to remove them once they are added to your food. If need be go lightly at first… sprinkle them like salt and then add more if your palate says to do so.

We will cover off 3 recipes using a total of 4 products from our retail line of spice rubs under the guise of “The Spice Co.” if you don’t have the products you can order them online at https://www.chefbrianhenry.com/shop  If you choose to  not use our products in the following recipes I cannot attest to what the flavors in these recipes will work out like for you so good luck with that… you’re on your own.

There will be three recipes in total that when combined together create a balance of flavours and textures that will please most any palate. I recently prepared this dish at a fundraising event and it was bestowed with a people’s choice award. The recipe is for a Slow Fire Roasted Kick Ass Cajun Rubbed New York Striploin with One Stinky Onion Marmalade and Mexican Kitchen Cartel Mayo. Although the recipe calls for beef you can use a pork loin or whole chicken. The recipe will yield enough food for 4-6 dinner guests with a bit left over for a sandwich or two the next day.

To make this award winning meal you will need to start a day before you want to eat. It is also important to read the recipes all the way through before making them. This will ensure you have all the necessary ingredients and tools as well as an overview of the tasks that will be required of you to execute.  We first need to start preparing the meal by concocting the accompanying condiments.

First we will prepare the One Stinky Onion Marmalade…

One of the top 10 questions I get is, “how do you chop onions without crying?”

The answer is simple. Don’t chop onions.

Slicing or chopping onions can be among the most miserable of kitchen chores.

Our snotty, running noses and tears streaming down our cheeks make it easy to understand the purpose of onions¹ sulphurous characteristics: to discourage animals from eating them.

Our bodies react to onions as they do because cutting an onion releases chemicals that combine to create lachrymator, a sulphur-based gas, which is also one of the ingredients in tear gas.

This gas reacts to the water in your eyes and nose, producing sulphuric acid, which causes that familiar burning sensation and produces tears and sneezes.

There are plenty of suggestions on-line as to how one may reduce the tearful effects of onions, I suggest that you just suck it up, chop the onions, have a good cry and get over it.

Onions are most often used as a sub-ingredient to help build foundations for great dishes. On occasion, though, they get top billing as the primary ingredient in recipes such as French onion soup, onion bread or onion rings. In these recipes we get to enjoy the true sweet flavour that onions have to offer.

You can use any variety of onion to make the following recipe for One Stinky Onion Marmalade, but I prefer to use Red Italian onions aka: Bermuda Onions, with their striking colour preserved by the red-wine vinegar.

Serve One Stinky Onion Marmalade as a condiment. It makes for a light alternative to horseradish in beef dishes, and is delicate enough to be served with poached or smoked salmon.

One Stinky Onion Marmalade

Ingredients:

2 cups of diced red onions

1-cup red wine vinegar

2-3 cups granulated white sugar

1 tsp. “Humble Pie” Spice Blend, from The Spice Co. (optional)

Method:

In a large saucepot, combine diced onions, apple cider, vinegar and sage. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and return to a boil for two to three minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow the onion s to cool. Store the onion marmalade in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.

Alright so the next recipe is a bit easier to pull off….

Mexican kitchen Cartel Mayo

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of mayo, the full fat kind

1 – 2 tbsp. “Mexican Kitchen Cartel” Spice Blend, from “The Spice Co.”

Season with to taste with” Chef Salt”, from “The Spice Co.”

Method:

Stir ingredients together until evenly incorporated. Cover and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator so that the flavours have time to develop. Give it a taste the next day and up the amount of “Mexican Kitchen Cartel” Spice Blend if you want to give it more kick.

The final stage of this recipe takes about 15 minutes to prepare and about 3 hours to cook so think about it and plan on when dinner will be.

Slow Fire Roasted Kick Ass Cajun Rubbed New York Striploin

Ingredients:

5lb beef roast like Ny Strip, Prime rib, or pork loin roast, or whole chicken

3 tbsp. “Kick Ass Cajun” Spice Blend, from”The Spice Co.”

3 tbsp. brown sugar

¼ cup apple juice

Method:

Stir together the “Kick Ass Cajun”, brown sugar and apple juice in a non-reactive bowl. Thoroughly rub the spice and sugar mixture all over the roast or birds. For best results cook the roast on a charcoal or wood-fired barbeque at 275 °f for 2 ½ – 3 ½ hours. If you do not have access to a barbeque roast the meat in a roasting pan with a wire roasting rack. Use a meat thermometer / probe to check the internal temperature of the meat. For beef or pork you will want to reach an internal temperature of 135 °f – 140 °f for med-rare. Chicken will need to go a bit higher to 170 °f internal temperature.

To serve slice your steak, pork or chicken in thin slices, like a 1/8^th of an inch thick. Pile the slices up on a tossed salad, rice or your favourite sandwich bread. Top the meat with a generous dollop of the One Stinky Onion Marmalade and drizzle a tablespoon or so of the “Mexican Kitchen Cartel” Mayo on top of everything and get to eating.

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