Pungent Bulb Fills Flavor Gap : From Elegant Entrees to Easy Stews, It’s a Joy of to Cook With Onions

Is there life without onions?

Somehow, that seems unlikely.

No life in the kitchen, anyway. The thought of trying to cook for more than a day or two without a little help from the pungent bulb could bring more tears than--well, chopping an onion.

Heaped on a hamburger or lending subtle flavor to an elegant souffle, the aromatic onion presents an amazingly varied face to an adoring public.

Take the onions out of countless soups and stews and you’d leave a yawning flavor gap. Raw onions add life to salads and sandwich spreads with their hint of something sharp. The onion can even stand alone, baked and served in full form as the glorious globe that it is.

A glance through almost any cookbook confirms the onion’s high ranking with cooks of all kinds. In “Joy of Cooking,� that bible of the American kitchen, onions turn up in more than 450 recipes. And that doesn’t include the onion’s close relatives--mild-mannered leeks, shallots and chives as well as assertive garlic.

Available in Local Markets

Even if you call onions and garlic close culinary friends, you may be less well-acquainted with those other members of the onion clan. And there may be some regular-onion varieties you don’t know so well.

Yellow onions are available in local markets all year long. These are the onions most popular for cooking. Spanish onions also are sometimes lumped under the yellow-onion category, altogether they are milder than most yellow varieties.

The Walla Walla Sweet comes from Eastern Washington during summer months and is famous for its mild flavor. Nearly all Walla Wallas are sold fresh during their harvest season.

Partisans of the Walla Walla Sweet like to boast that it’s so mild you can chomp into it as you would an apple. These days the prize bulb is engaged in a cross-country rivalry with another supersweet onion, the Vidalia, grown in Georgia. It’s North vs. South, with each claiming the sweeter bulb. The Walla Walla won “hands down� in a blind taste test, according to Jack Fredrickson of the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Commission. But the Vidalia claimed victory in another contest . . . in Georgia.

Good Publicity for All

The “sweets� competition is really only verbal, though, since the Vidalias are harvested earlier in the year and since neither onion has seriously invaded the other’s regional market, said Fredrickson. In fact, he said, the debate “is good publicity for everyone.�

Sweet Spanish onions from Idaho and Oregon have also jumped into the promotional fray, with growers touting their mildness. On the market in the fall through winter months, they’re large, sometimes reaching 5 inches in diameter and gold-bronze in color.

Onion lovers can also choose another extra-sweet variety, the Maui from Hawaii. These are available off and on year round. Even some produce pros, however, find the flavor differences among most onion varieties too fine to discern.

Even supposedly sweet varieties sometimes taste a little “hot.� To soften the bite of a too-strong onion that you’re going to use raw, you can soak the slices or chopped pieces in ice water.

The amazing thing about onions and their relatives is the way they change personality when they’re cooked. Whether sweet or sharp when raw, all kinds turn subtly sweet when slowly sauteed or cooked in other ways. Their transformed flavor makes them excellent in sauces, quiches and countless other preparations.

The secret to getting the best flavor from cooked onions, is not overcooking them. Watch especially to prevent them from burning in the saute pan, as this can make them bitter. The usual instruction is to saute them in oil or butter until they are translucent.

An Intriguing Slaw

Onions combine surprisingly well with a diverse range of other ingredients. The late Bert Greene, in his book “Greene on Greens,� (Workman: $12.95, paperback) combines yellow onions with honey, Dijon mustard, ground cloves and other flavorings in a delicious recipe for baked glazed onions. And he builds an intriguing slaw out of red onions, tangerines, lemon juice, orange juice, Dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, watercress, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Red, or Italian, onions are among the sweeter varieties. Available all year long, they’re good raw in salads, adding a mild flavor and a pretty touch of purple.

Following are other onions and their ilk. All are available all year long, from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia greenhouses or California, depending on the season. White onions (sometimes called Bermudas), are very large and either round or somewhat flat in shape. These, too, are usually milder than yellow onions. They are often used fresh as with hamburgers, instead of cooked.

Even though white onions are supposed to be sweeter than yellow onions, you can’t always count on it. Sometimes they’re definitely “hot.� In fact, whatever generalizations you might hear, you can find sharp-tasting individuals in any onion variety.

Pearl onions measure about an inch across, are white and frequently used in sauces and stews.

Green onions (also called scallions), are the familiar small onions that come with their green tops still attached. Usually they’re just immature regular onions, although sometimes they’re a specific, small variety. Mild in flavor, green onions make good additions to salads, stir-fries and egg dishes, such as omelets.

Shallots are sweet, but also a little sharp when raw and have a flavor reminiscent of both onions and garlic. Long associated with French cooking, they bring their special mild flavor to sauces, soups and other dishes. They are formed in a small cluster, a little like garlic.

Leeks are the most delicately flavored of all the onion relatives. Sold fresh with their green tops attached, they look a little like large scallions but with wider, flat green leaves. The leek bulb and the lower, tender part of the leaves are used in cooking. The upper, tougher part is usually discarded. Leeks require extra care in cleaning because dirt gets caught between their layers.

Chives, unlike other members of the onion family, contribute mainly their thin, hollow green leaves to cooking. The flavor is barely sharp, adding a slight onion taste to soups, egg dishes, cream and cottage cheese, sauces and salads. Used fresh, they should be cut and added to a dish shortly before serving, so their flavor will not fade.

When buying onions, avoid those that are starting to sprout, as they are closer to spoiling. Dry onions should be stored in a cool, dry place, such as a wire basket. Green onions, leeks and chives should be stored in the refrigerator.