Onion Rings: a special treat that's easier than it looks
We don't have them often - even if we eat out - but they are something that we have every once in a great while and enjoy the heck out of them. Then it's another year or so before we have them again,
It's not because they are difficult to make or require any special equipment or skills. In my min, onion rings are really not much more than tempura onions. A lot of fried breading and some veggies. If it were up to the hubby, he'd have less of the veggies and more of the "fried," but that's another story.
I had a friend who had convinced her kids that onion rings were very difficult to make and she provided the treats to them at great personal sacrifice. They felt bad that she had gone to all that work so they ate the onions even though they said they didn't like onions and thus learned to eat onions. (Evil mom trickery.)
Onions are actually pretty simple and you could make them to accompany any meal. Just don't tell the kids.
Classic Onion Rings
Makes about 2 dozen rings
- 1 laarge white onion (I've never used any other kind of onion, but I don't know why a red onion or a sweed vidalia wouldn't be delicious)
- 1 1/4 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of milk (Unsweetened nut milk is perfectly fine)
- Oil for frying, about an inch deep in your pan
- Seasoned salt for finishing
- Heat the oil in your pan to 365° F.
- Slice the onion into thick slices (or how thick or thin you prefer your rings). Separate the slices into rings.
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
- Dip the rings into the flour mixture and make sure they are well-coated and set them aside.
- Whisk the egg and milk into the flour.
- Dredge the rings through this batter and drop them, a couple at a time into the hot oil. As soon as they are golden brown and have floated to the surface, they are ready to be scooped out and put on a wire wrack covered with a towel.
- When they are all done, sprinkle with seasoned salt and enjoy!
When I was growing up, I had a friend whose mother used to dip the battered rings in crushed corn flakes before frying for an extra crunch, You could try that or even panko. I think they are delicious in their basic form, but who am I to discourage food experimentation?!
