Egyptian Tree Onion - Walking Onion
(Allium cepa var. proliferum)
Hardy perennial onions which form bulblets (rather than flowers) on stalks, hence the name Tree Onion. The weight of the bulblet head slowly pulls the stalk down to the ground, away from the base of the parent plant, where they quickly root and form a new clump of onions.
Tree onions die down in mid Summer, a good time to lift the main clump of bulbs for harvest and replanting. New leaves appear in Autumn and the plants continue to grow through Winter. Bulblet stalks emerge in early Spring and mature early Summer. The leaves are prone to mildew in a wet Spring but this does not affect the main bulb.
If you don't manage them on an annual basis they will spread through your garden, hence their other common name Walking Onion. But they are easily removed as they grow just below the surface of the soil and are not persistent.
Braised Tree Onion Bulbs
Toss 500gr peeled bulbs into a casserole dish with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 2tb olive oil & a good sprinkle of brown sugar & salt. Bake covered at 170deg till tender, then remove the lid, cooking further to reduce the sauce. The resulting sweet & sour onions are meltingly tender - they keep well in the fridge.
Tree Onion Scapes - flower stalks
Pick while they are still young, before the bulblet heads start to form - the stalks snap off easily. Raw, they do have a strong flavour, which is fine stirred into mashed potato but a bit harsh perhaps in a mixed salad. To cook, coarsely chop, toss with some oil and salt then microwave on high, covered, for just a moment or two. The rawness goes while texture and colour remains.
Pickled Tree Onions
Salt bulbs to soften, then bottle with spiced vinegar as per your standard recipe. Tree onion bulb scales are thinner & less succulent than those of standard pickling onions, but otherwise the result is quite similar.
