Cornmeal-Fried Onion Rings

We made these delightful rings to go with our Filet Mignon steakhouses. After this fantastic dinner -our house will never be the same. P.S. And my dad will be so proud of me... Yum! Yum! Yum!


Ingredients

• 2 large Spanish onions (or 3 yellow onions)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (medium) yellow cornmeal
• 1 quart vegetable oil

Directions

Peel the onions, slice them 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, and separate them into rings. Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the onion rings, toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes. (The onion rings can sit in the buttermilk for a few hours.) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large pot or Dutch oven. (A candy thermometer attached to the side of the pot will help you maintain the proper temperature.) Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs. Don't crowd them! Place the finished onion rings on the baking sheet, sprinkle liberally with salt, and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried. They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

Onion Soup

This one is a favorite at our house all year long. Since we had extra chicken broth on hand, we decided to make this for dinner (along with my Ham & Spinach Quiche, recipe will be published next).

Onion Soup
Yield: 6 servings

4 tbsp of butter
4 Large Sweet Onions, sliced
5 c of chicken stock
One pinch of dried thyme
One pinch of dried parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 c of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Mozarella Cheese

Optional:
2 tbsp of cognac
Croutons

• Melt the butter over medium heat in a pot. Add the sliced onions and cook for 30-45 mins until soft and beginning to brown.
• Add the chicken stock, and turn the heat to medium to high. Bring just to a boil. Turn down to simmer.
• Add herbs, cognac, pepper and salt to taste. Cook for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 deg F.
• Place croutons & one tbsp of parmesan cheese on the bottom of bowl (or skip this if you prefer them without croutons). Add soup, top with mozarella cheese.
• Bake for 10 mins until cheese melts.