European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Living today the one and Only onion no tears but cheers for the pervasive allium by Sharon Hudgins special to stripes Magazine when i was i kid onions belonged to the category of foods that i abhorred. Now  i be discard eel the silly prejudices of t Hill Hood i  t imagine cooking without onions or without the onion s other relatives in the i limn Genus garlic shallots Leeks and Rhives. The onion s name is derived from Chr latin word unit. Meaning oneness Unity  things in  and Hist Iii Illy onions  c  meant Many things to different people. I or thousands of years onion skins and juice have he in used As dyes for Cotton Wool and . Am Lent i egyptians considered the onion to he a Symbol of eternity because of its form of spheres within spheres. A 16th-Century to gosh herbalist prescribed onion Juii e to c ure c Olds help digestion and make hair grow on Bald . Surely it s tin onion s pungent odor that led to the Folk belief that onions will keep evil spirits away. Alexander the Creal along with other military leaders thought that eating onions made his soldiers More Brave. In retrospect he was probably engaging in a primitive form of psychological and chemical warfare. Soldiers who had just consumed Large quantities of onions would presumably be less fearful of confronting the enemy those evil spirits on the Battlefield and hopefully the opposing armies would keel Over from the collective breath of Alexander s troops. Two thousand years later during the . Civil War Gen. Grant wired he War department i will not move my army without  ostensibly Grant believed that onions would prevent dysentery and other illnesses but just Between you and me i bet he was thinking along the same lines As the great Alexander. Anyway the Day after Grant s Cable three train loads of onions were sent to the front. The rest is history. Onions also rank High on the list of supposed aphrodisiacs. In some part of India Only men Are allowed to prepare dishes containing onions because women can t be trusted with such a sexually stimulating ingredient. Another Indian belief is that chewing raw onions will kill germs in the Mouth and Slop tooth decay Heloise Type hints for using onions outside the Kitchen include rubbing your car s Windshield with the Cut Side of a raw onion to keep the Glass from frosting up at night. This Little trick will surely also keep neighbourhood Birds and cats off your car in addition to deterring those modern evil spirits known As terrorists you can polish tin objects with the Cut Side of a raw onion and Shine your brass with a cloth dipped in the water that onions were boiled in. Onion growers claim that their product in its. Raw form can remove rust from knives and eliminate paint doors from a freshly painted room. Not having tried any of these suggestions however i can t personally vouch for their effectiveness. Native to Central Asia where they were cultivated As Early As 5,000 years ago onions arc now used As a vegetable and Flavouring ingredient throughout the world. And it s the onion s versatility in the Kitchen that interests me most. Windshield defrosting rust removal hair growing none Are As important As the use of onions in cooking. Trying to rein a Kitchen without onions and garlic shallots Leeks and chives would be like trying to conduct a symphony orchestra without the string Section. Onions can be eaten baked broiled Fried , boiled pickled stuffed creamed s sauteed glazed and raw. Surely one of the most universally used Flavouring ingredients onions and their relatives Are required in thousands of written and unwritten recipes for soups hours d oeuvres salads breads and All sorts of main dishes. I be even seen one dessert whose secret ingredient was onion the tollo min rec ipes Are two of my favorite dishes  i attire onions As i primary ingredient.  is a Lassie greek beef and onion Stew c Losely related of the1 i rent b born a u mriurpvienomh1 and hungarian i Yas. Also spelled sir if a Sli pm Iilo if Paoyi i , and Slu of this dish is popular throughout the Lial kans. In Greece a  is always a Stew in which b equal weights of meat and Snidle whole White onions Are used.  aug to made with fish veal pork . Rabbit or c Hicken but the beef version is the in i be encountered most often in Greece. My rec ipe for of Yaco Flavoured with currants walnuts feta c Heese Orange Peel and spices reflects the Middle Eastern influences on this dish. The recipe also explains How to make a simpler version of this tasty Fosef and onion Steve. 7wi l a Kuchen onion tart is the traditional a c omani rent to German be Urr ctn new wine also known As fee Ergo surr Sis sir Sausser and Sturm that Cloudy bubbly Light beige yeasty tasting drink available Only during the grape Harvest. No i or it in is grape juice that s still undergoing fermentation on the Way to becoming wine. Its flavor is perfectly complemented by a slice of onion tart. The recipe Given is for a swabian version of  which h is delicious eaten hot or cold. St fado greek beef and onion Stew 2 pounds Boneless braising beef Chuck roast Arm roast or Rump roast 1 Large onion 4 to 6 Large cloves of garlic 4 to 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 cup Tomalo Puree /2 cup red wine 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon Brown sugar 2 Teaspoons Salt 1 Teaspoon grated fresh Orange Peel 1 Teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper 4 whole cloves 1 stick of cinnamon 1 Bay Leaf 2 pounds Small stewing onions 2 rounded  dried currants or chopped dark raisins Vij cup coarsely chopped walnuts /4 Pound 100 Grams feta cheese finely chopped fresh Parsley Garnish Lemon wedges Garnish pre heat the oven to 325 degrees f. Trim any fat off the beef and Cut the meat into 1 i Inch cubes inc by chop the Large onion Ami mince the garlic. Heat 4 table spoons of the Olive Oil in a Large 3 to 4-quart dutch oven or c overed Flameproof casserole. With the heat on High Brown the cubed been two batches for about 5 minutes turning the beef so that All the surfaces Are browned. Using ,1 slotted spoon Transfer the meat to a bowl Seaside. Add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil to the juices in the pan depending on How much liquid remains in the pan alter you have browned the meat. When the Oil is hot add the chopped onion and , and jute until the onion is soft stir in the Tomato Puree red wine and wine vinegar and reduce the beat Lolow. Add i he Brown sugar Salt grated Orange Peel Black Pepper whole cloves cinnamon stick and Bay Leaf. Stir to mix Well Keirn the browned meat to the casserole stir until All the ingredients Are Well combined then cover the casserole tightly and put it into the pre he a cd j-5 degree f oven. Bake for 1 hour during which Lime you should prepare the stewing onions. Put a Kettle of water on to boil. Trim off the Root and Stem ends of the unpeeled onions. Use a Small Harp Kufe to Cut a Gash in the form of a Cross on the Root end of each onion. This keeps the whole stripes nug adne october 21, ims