Vidalia on My Mind

"Anything and everything is entered. Creativity is part of the judging," says Hal Chesser, chairman of the Vidalia Onion Cook-Off and Tasting. "Onion wine won last year and five cases were sampled."

Creative cuisine with Vidalia onions abounds today, but when farmer Moses Coleman first pulled the famous onions from his field 75 years ago, he didn't know what to make of them. Instead of being hot, the onions were mild and sweet enough to eat like apples. He sold the oddities for $3.50 a 50-pound bag, a pretty penny during the Depression, and nearby farmers took notice. In the 1940s, the sweet onions' fame and name spread as travelers bought "those Vidalia onions" at the Vidalia Farmers Market.

Vidalias are grown on 15,000 acres in a 20-county region where nature provides the perfect mix of low-sulfur soil, abundant moisture and mild winters.

The festival includes an onion-eating contest, parade, arts and crafts, and dancing. Tours of onion fields are available, and the Vidalia Onion Museum showcases the story of the vegetable that put Vidalia on the map. For more information, log on to www.vidaliaonionfestival.com or call the Vidalia Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (912) 538-8687.

Vidalia's Onion and Beet Salad

Mark Boughton

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Everyone loves Vidalias, particularly Chef Jeffrey Buben and his wife Sallie, who named their Washington, D.C. restaurant Vidalia after the famed allium. This salad celebrates spring with fresh beets, Vidalias and goat cheese. Add rotisserie chicken, shrimp, salmon or beef to make it a main dish.

Ingredients

2 small bunches golden beets
2 small bunches red beets
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 thin slices of baguette, toasted
3 ounces of herbed goat cheese
1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

Instructions

1. Put beets into two separate saucepans (to keep colors intact). Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer beets 15 minutes or until tender. Rinse beets separately under cold running water. Rub off skins with an old kitchen towel or paper towels. Cut beets in quarters.
2. Whisk honey, vinegar and thyme together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil, salt and pepper until vinaigrette emulsifies.
3. Combine beets and ¼ cup vinaigrette.
4. Spread each baguette slice with goat cheese and broil until brown on the top. Combine lettuce, beets, onions and 1/3 cup vinaigrette; toss well. Serve with goat cheese crostini. You'll have leftover vinaigrette. Serves 4.


Courtesy of Vidalia's Restaurant, Washington, D.C.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 380 calories, 15g fat, 11g prot., 52g carbs., 8g fiber, 580mg sodium.

Marti Attoun is a freelance writer in Joplin, Mo.

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