Fried onions:
2 large white or yellow onions, sliced
Milk
Gluten-free all-purpose flour
Rice flour
Salt & pepper
Casserole:
Frozen green beans
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter
2 tbsp. gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 can Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup
1 soup-can half & half
Salt & pepper
Directions:
1. For the onions: Preheat oil in a large pot or deep skillet on the stove on medium-high heat. Slice onions to about the same width. Remove center 3-4 rings and discard or add to another dish that calls for diced onions (stuffing would work well). Separate onion rings, then prep two dishes for dipping onions in coating: one dish for milk, the second with the flours and salt & pepper. Use a lot of salt, each ring won’t pick up a lot of the coating.
2. Line up onions, milk, and dry dredge, with an empty bowl at the end to collect the coated onions. Using the wet hand-dry hand method, dip all of the onions by using your “wet hand” to pick onions from the bowl and drop into the milk, then drop into the dry dredge. Use your “dry hand” to coat the onions evenly in the flour mix, then transfer into the new bowl. Continue process until all onions are coated.
3. Drop onions into hot oil in batches so they have room to move. If onions splatter when added to the oil, lower the temperature to medium. Remove onions from oil in about 5 minutes, depending on temperature of oil and size of batch. Look for browning of the coating to know onions are done. Remember, onions will cook again in the oven later! Drain on grid rack or lots of paper towels.
4. Casserole assembly: Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, melt 4 tbsp. of butter on medium heat. Whisk in 2 tbsp. of gluten-free flour, moving constantly, until it resembles a light brown paste. Add can of soup, then fill empty can with half & half. Whisk all ingredients together until roux (the butter & flour paste) breaks down and combines with the liquid to form a uniform mixture. Add salt & pepper to taste, then allow mixture to reduce for about 5-10 minutes, depending on if you prefer your casserole loose or thicker. Mixture will not thicken on stove-top, thickening results as starches begin to reset and gelatinize during cooling; you just want some of the water to evaporate out on the stove before assembling the casserole to go in the oven.
5. Fill casserole dish nearly to top with frozen green beans. Pour liquid mushroom mixture over beans, then gently stir together with one third of the fried onions. Top casserole dish with lid or foil, and place in preheated oven to bake for about 25 minutes. Remove lid or foil, top with rest of onions, and bake again for another 15 minutes, or until topping is golden-brown.
6. Let cool at least 10 minutes before devouring, or you will get lower lava lip or molten magma mouth. I don’t care how good it smells or looks, do not try to eat it directly out of the oven, you will hate yourself.
I hope you guys enjoy this delicious version of green bean casserole. I’m sure you can see by now why there aren’t any exact measures in the recipe, it just isn’t really necessary. I mean, you end up throwing it all together in one single dish. If you over-salt the onions, you can just skip adding salt to the mushroom soup sauce (you’ll know if you over-salted the onions, they’re basically onion rings, no way are you going to resist sneaking a couple before adding them to the dish).
A few extra tips:
1. I add bacon grease to my frying oil. Bacon grease makes everything better.
2. Use vegetable or peanut oil for frying. Make it at least 4 inches deep.
3. If your oil gets too hot, cool it quickly by adding another half-inch to inch of oil.
4. A combination of fat and flour is called a roux (pronounced “roo”…it’s French), and is often used as a base in gravies and sauces so flour doesn’t clump in the liquid.
So enjoy this slightly healthier alternative to the classic recipe on the French’s Fried Onion can, and impress your holiday guests who’ll all proclaim, “oh my god, I can’t believe this is gluten-free!” Leave your thoughts in a comment below, or get in touch with me directly by filling out the form on the contact page. Happy eating from The Deglutenizer!
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