Onion Salad Tarnier

 

"Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep."
-Carl Sandburg, Poet

The refrigerator light goes on...

This recipe is credited to Mr. Tarnier. He works in the produce department of one of my local shops. He held up a lovely sweet red onion and sold me on it one day when I was simply browsing about. He said, "these Italian sweet red onions are fantastic, you should buy some." I really wasn't all that interested and then he said, "Make them like we do in my country – Peruvian style." I asked him how this would be and he said, "slice the onions, a little salt, a little oil, a little sugar and a little bit of the liquid from a jar of jalapeño peppers."

This set my mouth to watering and I immediately bagged two of them and went off in search of a fresh jar of jalapeños. The maple syrup is my variation because I feel this gives it a slightly savory flavor.

Do keep in mind that even though this uses sweet red onions it may not be for the faint of heart. This is still an onion salad, after all....

Special Diet Information

Coumadin® (Warfarin)
This recipe is safe for Coumadin (warfarin) users.

Lactose
This recipe is safe for those who are lactose intolerant.

Sodium
This is a low sodium recipe.

GERD / Acid Reflux
This recipe contains GERD triggers and those with GERD may wish to avoid it.

Mandoline

Having a mandoline in your kitchen is not essential, but once you own one you will wonder how you lived without it.  

The most basic unit is a rectangular frame that holds an adjustable cutting blade in the center of a sliding surface.  Moving food back and forth over the blade creates uniform slices.  A small plastic version of this can be found in almost any kitchen store for less than a fair bottle of wine.  (Illustration #1)

Without any built in support, holding the basic mandoline at an angle with the bottom end on the counter and the blade facing up can be a bit of a challenge.  The blades are generally extremely sharp and don’t discriminate between a carrot and the tip of your finger.  Practice with easier ingredients, such as cucumbers, at first.  After mastering softer foods, such as apples, squash and potatoes, try something solid like beets or carrots.  

There are, of course, dozens of more complicated mandolines.  It is worth the investment to purchase one with a folding stand. (Illustration #2)  

The stability of this style offers less chance of injury while letting you produce more consistent slices.  Most of these are also equipped with a serrated blade allowing you to create waffle cuts, as well as supplemental blades for julienne or French fry cuts.