(Editor’s note: Knowing people from the onion country of south Georgia can be beneficial. We got a package of Vidalias from a friend recently, who also includes his reflections. We thought you would enjoy the letter he sent along. -eeb)
By Ray Moses
President, Genoa Construction
ALPHARETTA, Ga. | Here is your bag of big, juicy, late season, original variety Vidalia onions. grown perfectly by the McLains near my home place in Montgomery County. They are peerless.
Moses
Every year I share recipes. I asked Ivan, a successful restaurateur, who owns several high- end establishments in Atlanta. I had never heard of corn-fed onions. He kept saying it over and over. He grew up in Russia and lived in New Jersey. Between those two foreign languages, and talking fast, I could not understand. Corn-fed onions? Finally, when I saw his recipe for Confit onions, all was clear. It sounded pretty fancy and complicated. I passed. Lot of trouble to just cook something in fat. Believe you could get the same result with bacon grease.
I then turned to Arthur, who makes money chasing ambulances, wears a watch the size of my alarm clock and smokes cigars hand-rolled by Castro. He sips Pappy Van Winkle and uses words like “marvelous” and “splendid.” He’s an authentic foodie. He flies all the way to Paris to eat something he can’t pronounce. He’s a good source for ideas. He suggested Truffle-infused French Onion Soup. (Paris more than likely). I like onion soup. And I love chocolate candy. But I don’t believe they will taste very good together. I passed.
When I was back home in Montgomery, I rode down to Judy Lou’s for supper. People drive 100 miles to get one of her 48 ounce ribeye steaks. How could anyone eat three pounds of meat? (I ate three pounds of Little Debbie Cakes one year at the beach, but it took me all weekend.)
I was going to Judy Lou’s for catfish and hushpuppies. When I went by the “Cut and Shoot,” I noticed Big Tillman’s old pick-up was there. Big knows a lot about cooking. He didn’t get his name eating quiche and kale salad. His advice would be good. He’s always been a thinker. During his second year in the fifth grade, Miss Tootle asked him if he could spell Mississippi. He replied: “The river or the state?”
I found him on his second whiskey. When I asked for the best way to eat a Vidalia, his answer: “Grill it. Period. Peel it, core it a little, put a beef bouillon cube and a wad of real butter in the core space, add salt and pepper. Then you double wrap it in tin foil and grill at 350 for 35 minutes. Nothing better.”
Then I asked him if he had a Green Egg. He looked confused for a while, but said one of the grand young’uns found some behind the azaleas at the church on Easter, but he was pretty sure they ate ‘em. I didn’t try to explain. It turns out he proudly still uses a Weber Grill that Buster Jim gave him when he came home from Vietnam in’68. He said that he reckoned he had grilled enough on it over the years to feed all of Toombs County two or three times.
Try it. I bet it will be “splendid.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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