michael tuohy's

Vidalia Onions

having spent more than 20 years living and cooking in atlanta, ga, i gained what i often refer to as my "southern exposure." it was there that i learned to love and appreciate the humble vidalia onion. there is only one place that these sweet alliums grow and that is in vidalia, ga. in fact, it is the state vegetable. this very important crop makes it's first appearance every spring as the first bulbs shoot their beautiful greens up through the dirt. this for chefs and cooks alike, gives reason for renewal and that early inspiration that winter has passed and that there will be a new season. as the onions mature, like most onions, they develop a skin that becomes papery but, not thick. the vidalia onion is a thin skinned onion like the spanish variety. other onions with similar sweetness but always cause passionate argument for which is the sweetest amongst aficionados are, the texas 1019, the walla walla, and the maui. perhaps its because of my affection for the vidalia, i believe they are truly the sweetest! 

recently, i was the lucky recipient of a care package of vidalia onions sent from some good atlanta friends. i shared an onion with each of my neighbors and told them about the vidalia onion and it's provenance. here I share a couple of photos recently took in my kitchen. go to my flickr badge on the left side of the blog and find more vidalia photos as they caramelize in a pan and then end up with fava beans & mint as a condiment to a delicious berkshire pork chop. also, if you go to the vidalia onion website link above, you will find several recipes that I contributed. Enjoy!

 

Spring is in the Air.....Soon it will be Summer!

yesterday marked the opening day of the chavez park farmer's market in downtown sacramento. it was a very warm spring day with temps that actually reached 92. i lead a weekly tour of the chavez park market from may-thru-october. the tour consists of a gathering first at Grange restaurant just across the street. then, we walk over to the market and visit each stand that circles chavez park, and finishes with a three course market inspired lunch prepared by my staff and I back at grange. being that it has been a pretty wet winter season, many of the farms are running a bit behind with their crops so, the market was a bit "thin" in terms of abundance. however, there were plenty of strawberries, asparagus, spring onions, some early summer varieties of squash, peas, sugar snaps, and even the first cherries! as we move forward with warmer weather and less rain, it is just a matter of time before the market will be at "full tilt" and we will start seeing stone fruit, berries and other goodies that we just can't wait for! Here is a nice little article from "Sacramento Press," that describes yesterday's tour....enjoy!