Somevegetables I’mthinkingcarrots,
potatoes,parsnipsandcabbage are
dependable;alwaystherewhenyouneed
them.Thenthere’stheonion,whichstands
apart,likea culinaryoverlord.Froma
cook’spointofview,it’severywhere.It’s
thewhisperyoucanbarelydistinguishin
a complexstew,it’sthewarmthyoufeel
froma gravy-richpieona coldwinter’s
evening.Itghostsitswaythroughmyriad
disheswithunmatchedmagicandsubtlety.
Theonionisthefoundationofthefamiliar,
theunusualandeverythinginbetween.
Withoutit,I’dbelostatsea,adriftina
becalmedkitchenwithnodirectionhome.
SometimesI wonderiftheharmonythe
onioncreatesbehindthescenesistakenfor
granted.Shouldwecelebratethiswonderful
vegetablemoreoftenandmakeittheflesh
andbloodofa meal,notjustitsbackbone?
I thinkso,andthat’swhythismonth’s
recipesareallaboutthiswonderfulallium.
Andwhatbettermonthtosingits praises
than grey, wintry February?