Baked Vidalia Onions Stuffed With Country Ham And Chanterelles

Vidalia Onions, like Walla Wallas from Washington State or Mauis from Hawaii, are some of the sweetest onions on earth and one of the most treasured vegetables of Southern cookery. Grown exclusively in or around Vidalia, Georgia, the onions derive their delicacy from soil with a low sulfur content (sulfur being the culprit that makes most onions so strong). So protective is the region of its valuable asset that each onion (or string sack of onions) must be certified (and tagged) as authentic by the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce. While just ten years ago genuine Vidalias outside the South were generally available only at specialty food markets from about May to July, today the onions can be found in most supermarkets during the growing season.

MAKES: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large Vidalia onions (about 4 pounds)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 4 medium scallions, trimmed of all but 2 inches of green tops and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 3 cups finely chopped fresh chanterelle mushrooms
• 2 cups finely chopped country cooked ham
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Pinch of powdered dried sage
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Peel each onion and cut off and discard a thick slice from the stem end. Scoop out the centers of each with a melon baller or sturdy spoon, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Finely chop enough of the centers to measure 1 cup and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the onion shells, and cook for 5 minutes. Invert the onions on paper towels and drain.
4. In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat, add the reserved chopped onions, the scallions, garlic, and Tabasco, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, the mushrooms, ham, parsley, sage, and cinnamon, and continue stirring until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the cream, sherry, salt, and pepper. Stir well and let cook for about 5 minutes longer. Remove the stuffing from the heat.
6. Sprinkle the onion shells with salt and pepper to taste, arrange them open side up in a casserole or baking dish just large enough to hold them, and divide the stuffing among them, mounding it.
7. In a bowl, combine the wine and beef broth. Pour enough of this mixture around the onions to reach 1 inch up the sides of the dish. Cover with foil.
8. Bake for 1 hour, basting once or twice.
9. To serve, transfer the onions with a slotted spoon to a heated serving platter and sprinkle the tops with chives.

Southerners eat them fried, sautéed, roasted, even raw, but never are the onions so loved as when stuffed with all sorts of ingredients, slowly baked, and served as a light luncheon dish or sophisticated side vegetable.