White, red or gold? When it comes to onions, it’s always difficult to choose. There are so many varieties, with so many healthy nutritional properties and so many recipes for using them! From onions au gratin to focaccia with onion; from sweet and sour onions or roasted onions. But this vegetable can also star as the main ingredient for another typical wintertime recipe – onion soup! How do you make it, though? And which variety of onion should you use? Here are all the answers.
One big family
In Italy, the cultivation of onions is among the most widespread of crops, from north to south. This reality is confirmed by the large number of varieties existing in our country. First of all, you have the Sardinian onion from Banari, which has a golden hue and is ideal for roasting. Then you have the white onion from Barletta, which is excellent fresh or pickled. And the red onion from Cavasso, the borettana; the white onion from Chioggia; the copper onion from Montoro and the most famous of all the Italian onion varieties – the Tropea red onion, an Italian delicacy protected by the IGP trademark and a consortium of producers, which has been active for several years.
The best onions for onion soup
However, not all varieties of the large onion family are suitable for making a good onion soup. The Tropea red onion, for example, is fine on its own, but especially good accompanied by a white onion from Brunate, which isn’t too large, features a rounded shape and is best used for cakes and soups. To make a delicious onion soup, it’s necessary to chop and brown one celery rib and a carrot with a little oil. Then add 3 Tropea onions and 3 Brunate onions (finely chopped). Let the onions sauté, adding a splash of wine. Once the wine has evaporated, add ½ liter of vegetable broth, add salt and continue to cook over very low heat for about one hour. At the end, serve with freshly ground black pepper, a little extra-virgin olive oil and bread crostini on top. Finish with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese.
Other varieties for onion soup
Another onion suitable for onion soup is the purple Certaldo variety, grown in Tuscany, with its characteristically round shape. Also the white onion from Giarratana in Sicily is another variety ideal for soups – thanks to its particularly sweet taste. The already mentioned red and white onions from Tropea and Brunate work very well together, but also combined with another variety – the Umbrian Cannara onion.
Onion soup: the classic recipe
For the classic recipe, just chop and brown a rib of celery and a carrot. Add the finely chopped 2 lb of onions and let the flavors combine, perhaps adding a little wine. After the wine has evaporated, add half a liter of broth and season with salt. Continue to cook over very low heat for about an hour. Serve with ground pepper, a little olive oil, and classic bread croutons.