Onions date back to 5000 BC. In Egypt around 3500 BC, onions were being grown for food at about the same time garlic and leeks were also being cultivated. Other ancient civilizations in Rome, Greece, India and China used and consumed onions. By the Middle Ages, it was one of the staples in the European diet. The Pilgrims in America found Native Americans using strains of wild onions in their cooking. Today, onions rank sixth among the world's leading vegetable crops and third in the US.
Directions
- Dough: In a mixer, gently combine the flour and salt.
- Add the yeast-water mixture and the olive oil-water mixture to the flour.
- Mix well until a ball of dough forms.
- Add a bit of additional flour if too sticky.
- Cover and set aside for 2 hours at room temperature.
- Onion Mixture: Sauté the sliced onions in the olive oil.
- Add the salt and continue to sauté until slightly caramelized.
- Set aside until the dough is ready, then stir in the thyme leaves.
- Assembly: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Roll the dough out and place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Arrange the onion mixture on top of the dough.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the dough is crispy.
- Serve immediately. Optional: garnish with olives and/or anchovies.
℞ M.D. Notes
- Onions have antioxidant and prebiotic effects.
- Onions are rich in flavonoids. Quercetin, found in onions (in higher concentration in red onions), belongs to a class of water-soluble plant pigments called flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory activity. It is the most studied flavonoid because it is among the most abundant.
- Quercetin seems to survive the heat of cooking.
- Onions are a natural prebiotic (a non-digestible food ingredient that, when consumed, stimulates the growth and function of certain beneficial bacteria in the gut). Other common food sources of prebiotics include garlic, banana and asparagus.
