BR Foodie: Multi-Purpose Recipes with Onions

Following up from my last post about shopping at , one of the best things about shopping bulk is making one recipe that you can use over and over again.

One of my recent favorites is turning a huge bag of onions from Costo into french onion soup, into pasta, then into chorizo and eggs and finally into a sandwich. 

The base is french onion soup. I use a version of an Epicurious recipe:  

• About half of a large bag of onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2 Turkish bay leaves
• A pinch of basil
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• Half a stick (or 1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 3 teaspoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of white wine (we use Cupcake)
• 5 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 cups water
• Half a teaspoon of black pepper  

Cook onions, bay leaves and salt in butter in a 4- or 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown (about 45 minutes). Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine, broth, water and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

Once done, let cool and store in refrigerator for recipes below or make one that night!

Dinner 1 — Soup

Additional ingredients needed:  

• Slices of baguette — one per bowl (6 to 8)
• Half-pound of Gruyère
• Half a cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Couple of slices of aged swiss cheese

Heat up soup in a microwave bowl. Broil the sliced baguettes. In ramekins, place swiss cheese at the bottom, pour in heated soup, place baguette slice in, put Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.  Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

Dinner 2 — Pasta

Additional ingredients needed:

• Cheese ravioli (store-bought, or picked up at a local  or at Eastern Market in D.C.)
• Half a bushel of asparagus
• 4 teaspoons of flour
• Splash of white wine
• S&P
• Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Cook the ravioli as directed. Cut half a bushel of asparagus into one-inch pieces and place in a separate skillet to cook until almost tender. Add in onions and most of the leftover soup broth. Bring to simmer. Add a splash from the leftover white wine. Sprinkle flour to thicken mixture, about 3 or 4 teaspoons. Stir and continue to simmer. Drain pasta and pour thickened asparagus-onion soup on top. Sprinkle with cheese and serve hot. 

Dinner 3 — Eggs

 Additional ingredients needed:

• 2 chorizo links
• 5 eggs
• Swiss cheese
• Half a bushel of asparagus (other half from recipe above)  
• 4 teaspoons of flour

I love aidells smoked chicken chorizo, but you can use any kind. Slice the chorizo and asparagus. Sautee the chorizo and asparagus in a bit of the onion soup liquid. Once it's hot and the asparagus is tender, add onions from the soup and continue to heat. Remove from heat and using same pan crack and cook scrambled eggs.  As eggs firm up, add back to the pan the chorizo, asparagus and onions. Mix the ingredients togather. Once hot, serve by sprinkling some swiss cheese over it (left over from the soup making).  

Dinner 4 – Sandwiches

Place the onions—cold or heated up—left over from the soup on your favorite sandwich. They will add a texture and deep flavor. 

More?

We could keep adding the onions and using the soup as a base for more dishes. It all really depends on how much is made.  

Do you have any multi-purpose recipes? Tell us in the comments.