This is not a recipe for any sort of diet except the gratitude diet. It is a celebration of the onion. The way these are cooked, one is supposed to truly taste the onion. It takes into account that it is not an exact science because different onions have different skin and even the same may differ at times of the year. Instead of beer, hard cider or apple juice and a little clear rum is used to enhance the sweetness of the onions, and fluff and crisp up the batter at the same time.
You will need:
- 5 large yellow or white onions, or the equivalent
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika or chili powder, depending how spicy you like it
- 2 level teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 500ml. hard apple cider or apple juice spiked with a half shot of clear rum
- Oil for frying, I recommend vegetable ghee, lard, or sunflower seed oil.
Instructions:
Peel and then slice the onions into 1.25 to 1.5mm discs, then separate them into rings that are about 3mm thick around the sides. You want these “chonky”
Take a cup of your flour, and use these to dust your onions. I would put them in a bag or container, put in the flour, and shake it around well. Put this aside and let the onions sit in that flour for 10 minutes or so. If you’re worried they will wilt, put it in the refrigerator. Then shake it around again.
Shake the excess flour into a bowl, and then put the rest of the dry ingredients into that bowl.
Stir in the hard cider until you have a batter that is about the thickness of a ketchup. If for some reason, more liquid is needed, use some water to make the difference.
Heat up your oil. You want it to be hot but not overly hot. If they fry too quickly the onions won’t become tender enough.
Working very quickly but carefully, one by one, dip the onion rings into the batter and place them into the fryer. Don’t overcrowd the fryer.
Take them out when they are golden brown, and place on a rack or a stack of paper towels to drain the excess fat.
Serve these warm with salad, pickles, or pureed fresh tomatoes.
