Dried onions are great to take on camping trips, for those delicious open-fire soups and stews that are our standard fare, or just to keep in the kitchen pantry for quick additions to your recipes without having to chop onions. I like to let my kids use them when they are cooking, since they tend to leave onions out of recipes, rather than have to chop fresh ones!
Drying onions is quick and simple, since no blanching is necessary. My only suggestion is that you move the dehyrdrator outside, or into your garage before you begin------onions can be a bit fragrant while drying!
For dried onion slices, just slice them in 1/8 inch slices, spread in a single layer on your dehydrator trays, and dry at 120-125 degrees for 12-14 hours, or until brittle. Rotate your trays at least twice during drying, and stir the onion slices every 4 hours.
For dried minced onions, chop the onions into 1/8 inch pieces. You will need to line your dehydrator trays with either parchment paper or the teflon sheets which came with your dehydrator, to prevent the pieces from falling through. Dry as above, checking on them for brittleness after about 6 hours.
For dried chopped onions, chop the onions in 1/4 to 3/4 inch pieces, depending on the size you would like for the finished product. I usually do a batch or two of each....1/4 inch, ½ inch, and 3/4 inch.....for use in soups, casseroles, and stews. Dry as above, turning twice and rotating the trays. They are done when they appear brittle.
We love Onion Pies, and I use the sliced onions in them routinely. Here is my recipe:
Onion-Jack Pie
1 pie crust (I like to make a double-crust recipe, then fill a 12" pie plate with this!)
2 C dried sliced onions(or, 2-3 medium or 1 large, sweet onion)
1 C half & half
2 T flour
½ C cottage cheese
4 T butter or margarine
1 t dried parsley
pinch (and I do mean a pinch) cayenne pepper
1/4 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Reconstitute the onions by covering them with 4 C boiling water, and letting them set for about 45 minutes. Prepare the pie crust and place it in the pan. Stir the remaining ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, and pour it into the crust. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until
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