The sights and sounds of a county or state fair signify so many things coming together: sewing projects, livestock and horses trained for their big debut, and gardens at their peak for harvest. Visiting the fair is a great family-friendly outing that will help support young 4-H and FFA kids who worked hard on those projects! You can find some amazing talent on display at the fair, and we really encourage you to visit your local event!
In case you need a little extra incentive, you can ALWAYS count on delicious food at the fair like sweets, food on-a-stick, and, of course, fried!
The recipe we’re sharing today is simply genius in our book! We’re not sure why someone hasn’t thought of this sooner, but we give high marks to Janine Washle of CloverFields Farm & Kitchen in Kentucky for giving life to this Stuffed Onion Rings recipe!
Stuffed Onion Rings
Makes: 6
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion like Vidalia or Walla Walla
Onion Ring Batter:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup tap water, sparkling water, gingerale, or beer
Center Filling:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 large egg
2-1/2 Tbsp tap water, sparkling water, gingerale, or beer
1-1/4 cups chopped onions
Preparation:
1. Pour enough vegetable oil into a 10” cast iron skillet or other heavy pan to about 1/4” depth. Heat the oil over medium high heat until it shimmers.
2. Peel and slice onion to about 1/2” thickness. Be careful to cut straight down so the ring sits level in the pan. Carefully separate the outer large rings from the center. (I typically make 3 cuts yielding 4 onion slices).
3. Make the ring batter by combining flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl. Add water. Stir just to moisten all ingredients.
-Dip the outside of the onion rings in the batter. Place the battered rings in the hot oil. You may have to cook in batches if your skillet is smaller.
-Working quickly, make the center filling by adding the cornmeal, egg, water, and onions to the remaining ring batter.
-Spoon the center filling into each onion ring. Do not pack it down, but do spread it to the onion’s edges. Don’t overfill. The baking powder will make the filling expand as it cooks.
-Fry for 6-7 minutes. Check for a rich golden brown color then flip. You won’t have any problem with this since the batter has already set.
-Now fry the second side for about 5 minutes. Check it at the 4 minute mark just to make sure they are not over browning on the bottom. If you are nervous about doneness, sacrifice one and cut into it. It will have the texture of moist cornbread. The internal temperature should be 180-185 degrees if you use an instant read thermometer.
-Serve immediately. If that is not possible, keep warm in a preheated oven on a baking sheet lined with several thicknesses of paper towels.
