Here is my latest column that was published in the Hinton Voice.
[When I was little, my Mom used to keep a plastic
container filled with different soup mixes in our lazy Susan. These mixes weren’t usually meant to be used
for their intended purpose, but rather to spice dips and salad dressings (and the
occasional meatloaf). We’d mix the
packages with sour cream for dips, and mayonnaise for salad dressings. French onion was always a favourite of mine,
and because I was never very decisive, I would mix the mayonnaise and sour
cream together rather than choosing one over the other. Nearly every dip I make
today starts with this base, with one exception - I now swap the sour cream for
Greek yogurt (or for a hot dip, cream cheese).
Ever since I discovered plain Greek yogurt a few years
back, I’ve used it in place of sour cream.
Not only do I use it to make dips or salad dressings, I also use it as
the “secret” ingredient in a lot of my baking (namely my favourite banana bread
recipe). The taste and texture are fairly similar, only Greek yogurt has far fewer
calories and fat, so I feel like I’m eating something a little bit healthier.
Sweet onions have always been my onion of choice for
anything French Onion related. This
advice first came from my husband’s Uncle Frank (who also happens to be French)
when he taught me how to make his recipe for French onion soup. He was very adamant that you needed to always
use sweet onions, and after having made his recipe several times now, I can definitely
see why. Other types of onions are more
pungent, whereas sweet onions have a milder, sweeter flavour (hence their
name). You could easily use whichever
onions you have on hand, but sweet onions work the best for this recipe, and
any thing else where you’re looking to achieve a true French Onion flavour.]
- Recipe yields
2 cups -
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or
olive oil
-
1 large Vidalia (sweet)
onion, sliced into ¼ inch rings
-
1 clove garlic,
minced
-
1 cup Greek yogurt
(or sour cream)
-
½ cup mayonnaise
(not Miracle Whip)
-
½ tsp Worcestershire
sauce
-
Black pepper
& sea salt, to taste
-
Chives for
garnish
Directions
Pre-heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring occasionally
for 15-20 minutes, or until caramelized (golden brown). Add the garlic and sauté for an addition 2-3
minutes. Remove from heat and let onions
cool for about 5 minutes. Chop onions
into fine pieces and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, Worcestershire
sauce, black pepper, and sea salt. Fold
in onion mixture and place dip in fridge for 1-2 hours (for best results,
overnight).
Top with chives and serve with your favourite fresh
veggies, chips, crackers, or for a true French Onion experience – a thinly
sliced baguette topped with greyer cheese and toasted until the cheese is
melted.
- Nutritional
Info (2 tbsp) -
Calories
- 34 Fat - 2 Carbs – 1 Protein - 1
Fibre – 1
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Lovely work, Jax! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is all about French Food? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. There are already a lot of links for you to check out. Cheers
ReplyDeleteThanks, will do! :)
DeleteJax, so glad you came on over. Merci beaucoup. I have signed up to follow you. Hope to see you again soon. Cheers
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