Ingredient guide: Onions

Rediscover this kitchen staple with recipes that make the humble onion a star ingredient.
Onions (Allium cepa) are part of the lily family and there is evidence the Sumerians were growing them as far back as 2500BC. Onions are believed to be native to Central and Western Asia.

Sharp and tangy to mild and sweet in flavour, the onion is used in cuisines across the world and is the one vegetable every kitchen should always have at hand. This versatile ingredient can be used as a base for stocks, sauces, casseroles and soups. When raw, onions also make an excellent garnish for salads.

Varieties
Brown onions: Large round bulbs with bronze-coloured skin that has a firm texture.
Red onions: Large round to flattened oval shape. The reddish-purple colour of this variety’s skin permeates through to each layer of the onion.
White onions: Large round bulbs with a more pungent flavour than brown onions. They have a pearly sheen to their firm, white papery skin.
Pickling onions: A small variety of the brown or yellow onion, the pickling onion can be used whole in casseroles.
Shallots (purple Asian and golden French): Formed more like a garlic bulb, shallots or eschalots have two cloves in the one bulb. Features a pale brown skin and a purple to cream or green flesh.

Recipes: Sarah Hobbs. Photography: Ben Dearnley