Salt Spring Food Blog

I love all onions, but as you know, I particularly admire a purple onion.

Specifically, the locally grown purple onions  that Melanie and Paul present so beautifully in baskets at the market — these are gems I savour with all my senses.  I leave them whole for days so to enjoy the glorious shape, the dry papery texture of the skin, rich shades of earthy burgundy. I wait until I have plans that honour them – not just a part of a melange of flavours, but as the cherry on top.

And when it’s time, the crisp outer skins crack and peel in layers, revealing a royal purple jewel bursting with energy — shiny and celebratory!  When I slice it in half,  sheer thin layers of purple alternate with thick white flesh that thicken toward the centre and root, to the white-flamed core.

I slowly caramelize onion slices in a cast iron pan, adding mushrooms later as a topping to, well, just about anything.

Anything with onions works for me, but I am grateful for the reverie these purple pearls awaken in me!

Which is your favourite onion?