THE ONION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 August 1939, Page 8

THE ONION

A VALUABLE FOOD.

HEALTH GIVING PROPERTIES.

Have you ever been tempted to despise the homely onion as rather a vulgar vegetable? It is one of the most valuable forms of vegetable food we Have and its health-giving properties are almost incalculable. No wonder the peasant thrives on his mid-day meal of bread and cheese and an onion! Failing any other vegetable, the onion alone can supply the indispensable autoscorbutic vitamin. This has been found at sea. Its sulphur content is high, and it is a great blood-cleanser, cleaning a muddy or obstinately pimply complexion as nothing else will, especially if eaten raw. For a cold, try the old-fashioned remedy of a boiled onion at night. For a bee sting, apply freshly-cut raw onion to draw out the poison. One word of warning, however! Never leave half an onion “for another day” exposed to the air, for onions readily absorb germs and impurities of every sort; in fact, they have actually been found at times to have prevented the spread of such diseases as smallpox in a house by absorbing the infection into themselves. Onions Without Tears.

Have you ever shirked preparing onions for dinner because you dreaded the pain of smarting, streaming eyes? Stick a small lump of raw potato on the end of your knife; it will attract the fumes as you peel and you will find that you can have onions “without tears.”

Avoiding Indigestion. The housewife often finds herself up against a very real difficulty. Members of her household complain that the fried onion in her delicious dish has given them indigestion. Listen to this tip from a doctor’s kitchen! When frying onion, always add a pinch of sugar. You will never hear that complaint again. Baked Onions. Just cover some middle-sized unpeeled Spanish onions with cold water and simmer slowly,, for two. hours. Drain and skin them, put them into a fireproof dish, carefully season each with pepper and salt and put a large piece of butter on it. Sprinkle thickly with fine breadcrumbs and bake in a hot oven till a deep golden brown. Serve them in the same dish. This makes a delicious lunch or supper dish. Boiled Onions. Change the water once at least when boiling them, draining them as soon as they come to the boil and putting them on again in cold water. Boil them again until very tender and then drain them. Serve with butter oi- white sauce. Stewed Onions. Fry some large Spanish onions whole in a stewpan, after well flouring them. Using as little dripping as possible, fry them to a light brown colour. Now add to them a little bovril or beef extract which has been dissolved in hot water and bring to the boil. Then, covering the pan, let them stew for at least two hours. Thicken the liquor with flour. This is very suitable for a supper dish.