It’s the start of so many memorable dishes: First, peel and chop an onion. As essential as onions are to the foundation of so many terrific dishes, it’s likely that you’ve taken them for granted. “Onions are the most common vegetable on today’s menus, but they’re often overlooked,” says Mary Humann, spokesperson for the National Onion Association. She offered some insight into the differences among onion varieties, as well as some good ideas for taking advantage of the spring onions that are just coming in season.

What’s in a name?

If you’ve always wondered about the difference between green onions and scallions, here’s a revelation: they’re actually the same thing. Both names refer to onions that never form bulbs, or are early-harvested from traditional varieties. One to watch for is the Mexican green onion, sometimes called the BBQ onion. It’s a green onion that’s been allowed to grow a little longer and develop a large, white bulb. With its sturdy shape and mild flavor, it’s great for tossing directly on the grill.

Spring onions are a variety unto themselves, with small onion bulbs at the base. They’re called “spring” because they were planted last fall and are usually harvested and available in May and June. Their taste is sweeter and mellower than regular onions, but you might find that the green tops have a bit more bite than you’ll find in scallions.

Here are more spring onion tips from Humann: “The spring fresh onions are different from the storage onions available during most of the year. They have a higher water content, and we have found that many chefs do not understand that fry times, etc. need to be adjusted for this.” If you opt for prep methods such as grilling or roasting, you’ll have a chance to bring out these onions’ sweet side. Toss them in olive oil and salt before cooking, and then finish them with a squirt of fresh lemon juice when they come off the heat.

Branching out

“As far as trends, we’re seeing more and more caramelized onions and pickled onions featured on menus,” Humann says. And while it’s a universal truth in the kitchen that the best time to make a pot of caramelized onions is about four hours ago, don’t forget that this is a perfect make-and-freeze ingredient. Start a pot of the onions caramelizing during morning prep, and set aside any that are left over after evening service. Freeze them flat on half sheets, then bag them up and keep on hand. They stay relatively soft while frozen, so it’s easy to nip off a few of them to add to a soup base, pasta sauce or pizza topping.

If you have an in-house pickling and fermentation program, any type of onion can be a standalone dish or an add-in to something like sauerkraut or kimchi. Pickled red onions make a colorful and popular garnish, especially for richer, fattier entrees like burgers or steaks.

Resources

National Onion Association

Read more

Not all onions are created equal

Recipes

Apple Onion Pizza

Grilled Apple Cheddar and Red Onion Panini

Butter-braised spring onions with lots of chives recipe

Hearty onion and veggie sandwich

This time of year, the woods are full of foragers who are seeking the best the season has to offer—fiddlehead ferns, ramps, morels and—of course—stinging nettles. Saddled with the least appetizing name possible, they manage to rise above and deliver a bright green goodbye to winter and hello to spring with every biteful.

Montreal chef Nancy Hinton told the Globe and Mail, “Its taste is subtle–like spinach–but soft and mineral. [It] brings green, body, depth.” For the same article, Whistler, British Columbia chef Paul Moran described the flavor as “very similar to kale, with a slightly minty aftertaste.” Alan Bergo, the Forager Chef, says “stinging nettles almost have a saline/ocean quality to them, especially if they’re pureed.”

How to prepare

Be careful. The tiny, stinging hairs on the underside of the leaves can be incredibly painful, so wear gloves when you’re handling them, until the leaves are cooked. You must soak or boil nettles, or cook them in other liquids, to remove the stinging chemicals. Bergo suggests removing the stingers from nettles by soaking them in water overnight, or blanching them in boiling, salted water, then moving to an ice bath.

On the menu

Freshly foraged wild nettles are popping up on seasonal menus in everything from pasta and pizza to soup and pesto. At Vancouver’s “sustainable dining” restaurant Forage, chef Chris Whittaker serves up an herb and brown butter gnocchi with stinging nettle. Green Bay Wisconsin’s Hinterland Restaurant and Brewery serves stinging nettle and parmesan malfatti, which are dumplings, similar to gnocchi, whose name literally means “badly made.” The Forager Chef serves them in a number of ways, including wilted with butter, in soups and purees, as a mix-in for warm grains, creamed or dried and used as tea leaves.

Read more

Taming the wild green: five chefs cook the sting out of nettle

Spring Special: Ramps

For a limited time only: Morel Mushrooms

Recipes

Stinging Nettles: 8 Recipes for Spring Cooking

Forager Chef’s stinging nettle tortelli in lactarius broth

Nettle gnocchi from Maine’s Farm & Forage Kitchen