Thursday, April 30, 2009

Vidalia Victuals Contest



I'm so pleased, dear readers, to announce this interactive Vintage Victuals blog event.

Every year, hubby gets about ten 20-lb. bags of Vidalia Onions from his rotary club. They "sell" them as an annual fundraiser. However, we usually end up giving them away to our friends, eating onions morning, noon, and night, and still allowing some of these tasty little guys to go to waste.

But this year, we came up with a way that you, dear readers, can help us out. An on that note, I'm excited to announce the first annual Vidalia Victuals Contest!

Well, the Vidalia Onion crop is officially in! It's a happy time for Georgians and onion-lovers all over the South. If you're looking for these babies in your local grocery store, be sure to look for the "Vidalia" on the sticker, as shown in the pictures here.


Here's how the Vidalia Victuals Contest will work.
  1. Submit your all-time favorite vidalia onion recipes to me (either by commenting on this post or by emailing me) by Monday, May 11, 2009 at 11:59 PM. In any cases of duplicate recipes, then I will accept the one that was submitted first. Limit one recipe per person, so pick your very best recipe!
  2. Then, the hubby and I will select 10 recipes that will advance to the Final Round. These recipes will be selected based on their creativity, their southern-ness, and their ability to showcase the distinctive Vidalia flavor.
  3. I will make these 10 recipes (using our oodles of onions), and post a big round-up featuring all ten of them: pics, links to original recipes (if they are found online), all the goodies.
  4. Then, YOU, dear readers, will vote for the winner of the Vidalia Victuals Contest. The winner will not only receive fame and glory being featured on the VV blog, but will also be the proud owner of a Vidalia Onion Prize Package including fresh Vidalia onions, some of our favorite locally-produced gourmet Vidalia sauces/dressings/relishes from our local country store, and some great goodies straight from the official Vidalia Onion Committee.
Good luck!



Update:
Be sure to also enter your Vidalia Onion recipe in
the Vidalia Onion Committee's
"Sweet Times with Vidalias" Recipe Contest!
Win major cash prizes.
Submit your entries by August 14, 2009.

I know I'm going to be entering this one!!!

16 comments:

Unknown said...

Vidalia onion and tomato pie !
It's heavenly rich and sinful all in one I think !
one large vidalia onion
halved and thinly slice
one large tomato
halved and thinly sliced
1 cup mayo
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
1 cup fresh grated parmasean chees
Herbs des provence about a palm full
Salt pepper to taste
Mix all together and transfer to deep dish pie crust
Bak in oven for 30minutes and 360 degrees.

What's Cookin Chicago said...

What a great contest!!

Deals, Steals and Heels said...

this is too fun!! i'm totally brainstorming this weekend =)

h2babe said...

ONION SOUP!!! ;-)

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.

alissa said...

emailed you my recipe (Sweet Onion Dip!)

Candace said...

Peel onion, wrap with foil and include butter and salt. Stick on the grill until nice and warm. MMMMMM good!

tinysbridetobe said...

Vidalia Onion Au Gratin!!

2 Tblsp Butter
5 medium Vidalia Onions, quarter, thinly slice and separate (about 5 cups)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar Cheese (I use half of this...DH's preference)
1/3 cup packaged biscuit mix (Bisquick)
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Cheddar Cheese(I didn't put this)
1/2 cup flavored bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 1-1/2 qt casserole dish.
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions & cook, covered, over med-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in the 2 cups cheese, biscuit mix and pepper. Transfer mixture to casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and top with bread crumbs.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Kerstin said...

What a fun contest - I'll have to brainstorm a bit :)

Mrs. G said...

Vidalia Onion Casserole

5 large vidalia onions, cut into 1/4 slices
1/4 cup butter (margarine can be substituted)
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
12 Ritz crackers

*Preheat over to 350 degrees. Use canola oil spray to lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish.
*Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender. Turn off heat and stir in sour cream and cheese. Transfer to baking dish, and crumble crackers on top.
*Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until top is browned and sauce is bubbling.
*Serve immediately.

Brandette said...

Vidalia Onion on the Grill

Take an onion and score the top, pulling open in the middle slightly. Stick 1 beef bouillion cube in the middle, then 3 tbsp butter. Place in foil and wrap tightly. Grill under tender to the touch. Comes out super tasty, almost like a french onion soup in individual, easy portions. So good!!

Elizabeth said...

(Beer) Battered Onion Rings

Ingredients:

*3 or 4 Vidalia onions sliced and separated into rings
*Oil for deep fryer

*1 cup Milk OR Beer
*2 eggs
*1+1/4 cups flour
*1/2 tsp salt
*dash of pepper
*1 tsp baking powder
*1 Tbsp melted shortening

Method:

Place these ingredients into a blender and whip until smooth (or combine all ingredients in a large bowl, gradually blending beer in last).

Chill the batter while heating oil and slicing onions.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 370 - 380 degrees (or use a kettle - test oil by dropping in a small chunk of white bread which should turn golden in about a minute).

Dip onion rings into batter, drip excess from rings then drop into hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown.

Don't overcrowd onions in the deep fryer as it cools the oil causing more absorption.

Cool slightly on a rack with paper towels or newspaper beneath to catch any oil drip. Serve warm.

Elizabeth said...

Ingredients:

*3 or 4 Vidalia onions sliced and separated into rings
*Oil for deep fryer

*1 cup Milk - (OR) Beer
*2 eggs
*1+1/4 cups flour
*1/2 tsp salt
*dash of pepper
*1 tsp baking powder
*1 Tbls melted shortening


Method:

Place these ingredients into a blender and whip until smooth (or combine all ingredients in a large bowl, gradually blending beer in last).

Chill the batter while heating oil and slicing onions.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 370 - 380 degrees (or use a kettle - test oil by dropping in a small chunk of white bread which should turn golden in about a minute)

Dip onion rings into batter, drip excess from rings then drop into hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown.

Don't overcrowd onions in the deep fryer as it cools the oil causing more absorption.

Cool slightly on a rack with paper towels or newspaper beneath to catch any oil drip. Serve warm.

Sue said...

I love Onion & Mushroom Pie!

It goes great with green vegies or mixed salad!

Ingredients:

- 1 Vidalia Onion, chopped
- 2 Vidalia Onions, quartered
- 1 lb small mushrooms
- 1 tbs finely chopped parsley (the fresher the better)
- 3 tbs Butter
- 2 tbs Sherry
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper (taste)
- beaten egg white for glazing

I cheat and use a frozen pastry puff- 8 oz

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter and cook all the onions, occasionally shaking the pan. Then add the mushrooms, turning them frequently. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes.

Next either drain the onions/mushrooms or use a slotted spoon and put them in a deep pie dish.

Raise the heat to medium on the skillet and add the sherry. Mix contents well and then our over onions and mushrooms in pie dish.

In a small bowl, mix the heavy cream, egg yolks, nutmeg and paprika. Add salt to taste and pour into pie dish.

Then I roll out the pastry and and cover the pie dish. i use the back of a knife to flute the edges and I make the slit in the center.

Brush the crust with the egg white and bake at 400 for 30 minutes until the pastry has risen and is a lovely golden brown!

Oh boy, now I'm hungry!

Sue said...

As for the pastry puff, if you've got the time, bake it. The pie comes out so much better when it's not store-bought and thawed.

:)

Kristina said...

Rachel Ray's Vidalia French Onion Dip Pizza

* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
* 2 large vidalia onions, thinly sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
* Salt and ground black pepper
* 1 ball fresh pizza dough
* 1 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
* 3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
* 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
* 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF.

Place a large skillet over medium heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and gently cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and deep golden brown, about 25 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, stretch the pizza dough out to the size of your pan (you can use a baking sheet or round pizza pan, whatever you have). Transfer the dough onto the pan and bake until set and very light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

When the onions are ready, season them with salt and pepper, and stir in the crème fraiche or sour cream. Spread the mixture over the pre-baked pizza crust. Sprinkle the cheeses and thyme over the pizza and return it to the oven. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve a romaine salad with a Dijon vinaigrette alongside.

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2682

Unknown said...

Grits with corn and Vidalia onion
From Bon Appetit


Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 Vidalia onion, grated

Scraped kernels from 2 ears fresh sweet corn (about 1 cups)

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup stone-ground or coarse-ground grits

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3 ounces)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until transparent, about 2 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels become soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the milk, water, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the grits, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the grits are creamy and thick, 45 to 50 minutes. Stir in the butter, cheese, parsley and chives. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

 

Made by Lena