Ask any chef or home cook what ingredient they can’t live without, and we bet they’ll say onions. So many delicious things start with cooking onions. Onions are the foundation of the world’s great cuisines. In this episode, we celebrate the onion. . .the most essential ingredient in the kitchen. Kate Winslow, author of the book Onions Etcetera, shares recipes and onion wisdom. Plus, we talk with Sefra Alexandra, aka The Seed Huntress, about her quest to revive the Southport Globe Onion. She’s an agroecologist and ethnobotantist who has dedicated her life to seed saving and preserving the genetic biodiversity of the food we eat. You haven't met anyone more passionate about seeds and onions in Connecticut. And finally, we dive into the crop’s notable history in Westport during the Civil War with historian Ramin Ganeshram, and Chef Plum shares his riff on a first-year culinary school classic: French Onion Soup.

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Robyn Doyon-Aitken and Catie Talarski produced this show.

Guests:
Kate Winslow – Author of Onions Etcetera: The Essential Allium Cookbook
Sefra Alexandra (The Seed Huntress) – Agroecologist and ethnobotantist. Founder of The Southport Globe Onion Initiative
Ramin Ganeshram – Executive Director of the Westport Museum for History and Culture, author of The General's Cook

Featured Recipes:
Red Onion and Goat Cheese Galette
Grits with Scallions and Bacon
Four-Onion Dip
Ramin Ganeshram’s Vegan Sour Cream and Onion Dip