O is for Onion

 

I cannot be trusted to have a deep fat fryer. And as we arrived at O for Onions I knew we would want to try out fried onion rings. I suspect the reason that I have an uneasy relationship with the chip pan lies deep in my childhood. My Dad is a great cook who loves food. On the nights when my Mum was working at the local library, my Dad would make our evening meal. Long before the Lucky Chinese restaurant opened in town, he had learnt how to make sweet and sour pork balls in batter. He also made delicious chips and fried courgette sticks. But all this had to be carried out under strict conditions of secrecy. Mum wanted us to eat a healthy diet. The chip pan, full of oil, hid in an outhouse. When the coast was clear it was brought into the kitchen. One of us would cut up the potatoes. As the oil heated up, the scent of our last forbidden meal would fill the kitchen. We would eat up quickly and greedily. A cover-up operation followed. The chip pan was returned to the outhouse, plates washed up and the door out of the kitchen opened wide. One of us would stand outside like a punka-wallah, flapping the door open and shut to waft away the scent of fried food. Somewhere along the line, all this excitement over deep fried food took hold and it has become my forbidden fruit. So when I needed a deep fat fryer to make our first O for Onions recipe, I walked down the road to my neighbour Catherine and borrowed hers. The onion rings were, not surprisingly, a success. Nine out of Ten was awarded and I dutifully walked back down the street to return the deep fat fryer.


Deep-fried Onion Rings
2 large onions, sliced into rings
A cup of flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika (optional)
Cup of coarse breadcrumbs
2 beaten eggs

Simply cut the onions into wide 1cm rings. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika to the flour and sieve into a plate. Have a plate of breadcrumbs ready and a wide rimmed bowl with the beaten egg.
Dip the onion rings into the seasoned flour, then into the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, making sure they are well coated.
When they are ready, fry them in small batches in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.

 

How do you like to do your onion rings?