Onions Show Their Colors

Onions come in three colors — yellow, red and white. About 88 percent of the crop is devoted to yellow-onion production. Only 7 percent of the national crop consists of red onions and 5 percent white onions, which are traditionally used in classic Mexican cuisine.

To quote poet Carl Sandburg: "Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time; And sometimes you weep."

Onion trivia:

• What compound in onions brings tears to your eyes?

  Sulfuric compounds. To cut down on the crying, chill the onion and cut into the root end of the onion last.

• What country boasts the highest per-capita consumption of onions?

  Libya, with 66.8 pounds of onions consumed per person each year. Americans dine on 18 pounds per capita per year.

• What should you eat to get rid of onion breath?

  Fresh parsley. Drinking milk helps, too.

• Where are specialty sweet onions grown?

  Arizona (Grand Canyon Sweets); California (Sweet Imperials and Coachella Sweets); Georgia (Vidalias); Hawaii (Maui Sweets); New Mexico (Nu-Mex and Carzalia Sweets); Texas (1015s and Super Sweets); Washington state (Walla Wallas).

Arranged Potato Salad with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow onions, sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes
boiling, salted water
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. fresh chopped dill leaves (or 1 tsp. dried dill weed)
1 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. sugar

Preparation:

1. Saute onions in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until golden, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and chill.

2. Boil potatoes 20 to 35 minutes or until fork-tender but not mushy. Drain and chill in a covered container.

3. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, dill, mustard, lemon juice and sugar. Slice chilled potatoes and brush a thin glaze of the dilled mayo over the tops of the potatoes.

4. To arrange salad on a large plate or platter, spoon caramelized onions onto the plate, spreading into a 10- to 12-inch round or oval. Make overlapping circles of glazed, sliced potatoes over onions. Spoon some of the dilled mayonnaise into center, and place remainder in a small bowl. If desired, garnish with fresh herbs.

Yield: 6 servings

— National Onion Association

Laredo Salad with Marinated Onions

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, halved (or half red, half yellow onion)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 ounces mixed salad greens (about 6 cups loosely packed)
2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 or 2 small fresh chilies, sliced
4 black olives
Picante Vinaigrette (see instructions)

Preparation:

1. Place onion flat-sides down and thinly slice crosswise, discarding papery skin. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, cumin, chili powder and salt in a container with lid. Shake well to mix, add onion and shake to coat onion thoroughly. Place in refrigerator and marinate overnight, shaking onions in marinade two or three times.

2. To assemble salad, heap lettuce on 4 plates. Arrange tomato slices on salads, radiating out from center, wagon-wheel fashion. Lift onions from marinade and heap into center. Halve, seed and peel avocado. Slice each half lengthwise into thin slices, keeping slices attached at one end. Fan out and divide each fan onto two salads. Sprinkle salads with cilantro and chile slices. Add olives. Serve with Picante Vinaigrette.

Yield: 4 servings

— National Onion Association

Picante Vinaigrette

Combine in jar 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons medium picante sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Shake well. Makes 1/2 cup dressing.

— National Onion Association

Joyce Rosencrans writes for the Cincinnati Post.