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Saturday Night Vidalia Onions

When I was first married, back in the late sixties and early seventies, going out to eat was reserved for very special occasions. Because of our tight budgets and young children, our social lives consisted of cooking out with our friends on Saturday nights. When the steaks and Vidalia onions were piled on our plates and we took our first bites, I think for a short while we all forgot that we were as poor as church mice, because we were eating like kings. What fond memories these Vidalia onions bring back!

Ingredients

1 large Vidalia onion, or a comparable sweet onion, per person
1 tablespoon butter per onion
1 beef bouillon cube per onion
Pepper

Preparation

  1. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Trim a slice from the top of each onion, and peel the onion without cutting off the root end. With a potato peeler, cut a small cone-shaped section from the center of the onion. Cut the onion into quarters from the top down, stopping within a half inch of the root end. Place a bouillon cube in the center, slip slivers of butter in between the sections, and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap each onion in a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Place the onions directly onto the hot coals and cook for 45 minutes, turning every so often. These can also be baked in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes, but I still say they’re better grilled over charcoal. Serve in individual bowls because they produce a lot of broth, which tastes like French onion soup.

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