Onion

Norristown-raised actress Maria Bello shares her mother's recipes with her friends. And at age 68, Kathy Bello seems to have embarked on yet another career. She's the author of a self-published cookbook, Aunt Kath's Kitchen: Cooking with Passion and Love for Family and Friends (available through auntkathskitchen.com ) and is 40 recipes in to what could become her next. "My mother has always gathered people, cousins, friends, family, around the table and had conversations.

Everything about the internationally renowned newspaper the Onion, which this spring introduced a Philadelphia edition, says class . Take its motto. Instead of going with the obtuse "all the news that's fit to print" or the self-satisfied "the truth in its proper use," the Onion aims for the sublime with Tu Stultus Es . (Whoa, that's, like, European!) "That's Latin for 'You are stupid,' " says Onion feature editor Joe Garden, who, with Onion writer Chad Nackers, will talk about the ins and outs of the award-winning publication Wednesday at Drexel University.

There's nothing like an onion to make you feel like an idiot. "Sure, I'll write about how we chop onions," I assured Alicia after several readers asked for our simplest, most painless method. "Not a problem. " Little did I know. "This isn't how I chop onions," Alicia said after reading my first attempt. "I hate to tell you, but I think my way is easier. " Huh? Somehow, even after years of watching her cook, I'd never paid attention to the business of onion-whacking. I had to admit I was confused.

It's a long, long way from Wisconsin, here on this stretch of West 20th Street, a weird neighborhood of warehouses and car-rental places not far from the on-ramp to the Lincoln Tunnel. The Onion, the nation's premier humorous online newspaper, relocated here last month from Madison - and within weeks had inked a deal with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, giving Miramax Films the right to make movies from Onion articles. There are fans who wonder if success will spoil the Onion.

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 pound Mexican pork chorizo, skins removed 1 white onion, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon each: ground ancho chili, sweet paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper 1/2 teaspoon each: thyme, ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon salt 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed 1/2 cup...

Tidy eaters need not apply to the "smashed onion burger" at Sketch. There are fancier options at this funky Fishtown burger atelier, where owners Megan Roberts and Phyllis Farquhar serve an extensive list of serious dry-rubbed patties with homemade toppings, from a Kobe burger worth its pedigree (best with wasabi sauce) to a house-veggie burger and Dr Pepper-braised pork. But there is something so amazingly primal about the smashed onion burger, I simply can't resist. It involves pressing a fistful of raw onions into one side of the thick, 8-ounce patty, then grilling them hard - until the lacy, caramelized onions leave their heat-charred tattoo on the juicy meat.

Having recently fallen in love with the nutty flavor of red quinoa (say it KEEN-wah), I've been looking for ways to use the ancient grain. Updating a favorite recipe seemed like a good start. The dish, called East Indian rice, was clipped about 20 years ago from a newspaper. It's a simple rice dish with dried fruit and onions cooked right in, and flavored with curry powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Yogurt stirred in at the end makes it creamy.   Red Quinoa with Dried Fruit and Yogurt Makes 4 servings 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, finely diced 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger or fresh grated ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1 1/4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 cup red quinoa, rinsed, drained 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit 1/2 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature 1/2 cup salted cashews or peanuts Chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add onion and ginger.

Burgers with a Greek twist - a mix of lamb, kalamata olives and feta cheese with garlic sauce - make for a quick meal with incredible flavor. The recipe is from Cat Cora's Cooking from the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals (Houghton Mifflin, $39.95). Cora, the Food Network's first female Iron Chef and executive chef of Bon Appetit magazine, uses bread crumbs (she favors panko, a Japanese flaked type) to help keep burgers and meat loaves moist and tender. Greek Lamb and Olive Burgers With Garlic Sauce (Makes 4 servings)

If you're a waistline watcher, bigger isn't better. Except where pasta is concerned. Big macaroni and super-size shells take lots of plate space. As a result, less (calories) looks like more. Check it out for yourself. You'll find that you need nearly twice as much of a skinny spaghetti like vermicelli to fill the same number of plates (and mouths). Today we've got a fresh harvest of plate-filling, eye-pleasing, appetite- satisfying main courses based on super pasta and slim garden ingredients.

Here are three recipes sent to Larry and Laban from Philadelphia - printed just as they received them. The cooks give Larry and Laban credit for filling in some of the instruction details on their own. That, as the cheesesteak show proved, can be hazardous. But, says Larry Bly, "no one ever died eating anything we've made. " Sent in by Sue Fisher of Philadelphia: CHICKEN MEATLOAF 2 lbs. ground chicken 1 envelope onion soup mix 2 eggs, beaten 4 slices white bread, soaked in water & squeezed out 8 Tbsps.

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 pound Mexican pork chorizo, skins removed 1 white onion, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon each: ground ancho chili, sweet paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper 1/2 teaspoon each: thyme, ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon salt 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed 1/2 cup...

For the pickled mushrooms: 2 quart containers of honshimeji mushrooms; a mix of brown and white is preferred 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 head of garlic, top trimmed 3 branches thyme 1 tablespoon coriander, crushed 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 quart mushroom or vegetable stock (store-bought stock is fine) 1/4 cup sherry vinegar For the onion puree: 2 large onions, peeled, diced fine 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup milk To finish: 1 bunch pencil asparagus, cut into one-inch pieces 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons shallots, chopped 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon or chives 1. Quickly blanch the mushrooms in boiling, salted water for a minute.

2 ounces butter 6 large Spanish onions, peeled  and julienned 2 sprigs thyme 1, 12-ounce bottle hard cider 2 quarts beef stock Hard, crusty bread 8 ounces aged cheddar cheeses, cut into four portions Salt and pepper 1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and caramelize until tender and slightly brown. Add thyme and cider, turn heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add beef stock, cover, and simmer for approximately 1 hour.

Having recently fallen in love with the nutty flavor of red quinoa (say it KEEN-wah), I've been looking for ways to use the ancient grain. Updating a favorite recipe seemed like a good start. The dish, called East Indian rice, was clipped about 20 years ago from a newspaper. It's a simple rice dish with dried fruit and onions cooked right in, and flavored with curry powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Yogurt stirred in at the end makes it creamy.   Red Quinoa with Dried Fruit and Yogurt Makes 4 servings 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, finely diced 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger or fresh grated ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1 1/4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 cup red quinoa, rinsed, drained 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit 1/2 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature 1/2 cup salted cashews or peanuts Chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add onion and ginger.

Here is an excerpt from the blog "My Daughter's Kitchen. " Who among us does not dream of cooking like Alice Waters? The legendary San Francisco chef almost single-handedly changed the reputation of healthy eating by creating food at Chez Panisse that was local, organic, good for you, and tasted sensational. In her cookbook The Art of Simple Food , Waters seeks to spread her gospel of great eating to those who don't have cooking degrees. And most of the recipes are eminently doable, even for beginners.

Like parenting a teenager, the making of caramelized onions involves patience, love, and a watchful eye. Both endeavors likely will make you cry, but the payoff is worth it. I know this about the onions; I am reassured about the other by mothers and fathers who have been there. Some with a reckless streak have taken the route of benign neglect for both tasks. I can't say whether that approach works in child-rearing, but loading a slow cooker with sliced onions and a few other ingredients and then walking away for up to eight hours produces a passable, but not excellent, product when compared to those produced by babysitting them on the stove for up to an hour.

This is an excerpt from Maureen Fitzgerald's cooking blog, "My Daughter's Kitchen. " Lentil soup is one of those staples you can turn to as the weather turns chilly. If you have a few basics on hand, this is a soup you can throw together, with a soothing, hearty result. It comes with a punch of protein without the heaviness of meat. It's exactly the kind of recipe I'm trying to pass along to my daughter - easy, healthy, and cheap - for the cooking blog we have started.

It's a complete meal. It's easy. It's fast. It's versatile. A frittata is one of the best choices for a fast weeknight meal. Think of frittatas as scrambled eggs with other ingredients mixed in. And finishing it under the broiler creates a delicious, lightly browned top, especially if you toss a bit of cheese on it before popping it in the oven. Chard and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata Makes 6 servings 6 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme Salt and ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus a bit of oil from the jar 4 ounces sliced white button mushrooms 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups chopped chard 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1. Heat the broiler.

Norristown-raised actress Maria Bello shares her mother's recipes with her friends. And at age 68, Kathy Bello seems to have embarked on yet another career. She's the author of a self-published cookbook, Aunt Kath's Kitchen: Cooking with Passion and Love for Family and Friends (available through auntkathskitchen.com ) and is 40 recipes in to what could become her next. "My mother has always gathered people, cousins, friends, family, around the table and had conversations.