THE SUCCULENT VIDALIA

Last fall we ordered 20 pounds of Georgia onions. Those 50 centerpiece, golden-skinned gems wintered in a cool, dark corner of our basement. We allowed ourselves one every other day, eking out the supply as long as we could. These were not just your ordinary onions; these were Vidalias, the sweetest of the sweet, grown in special soil and climate. One taste changes your view of onions forever.

We ran out of our supply one cold weekend in January, so when Bland Farms in Glennville, Ga., (tel. 800-843-2542), recently announced that its new crop would be ready next month, I put in my order.

The edible bulb of a plant belonging to the lily family, onions come sweet, hot and ordinary. In Georgia, their late-spring harvest is celebrated by festival cook-offs and a beauty pageant.

The Vidalia onion is grown in the Southern winters, then harvested from April to June. It`s the low-sulfur soil and the steamy Georgia climate that produce the sweet onion. California, Maui, Texas and Washington State also boast sweet onions of different varieties, but to Georgians, none match the Vidalia.

If you decide to try a few Vidalias, they keep best if you remove them from the original mesh or plastic bag and store them in a brown paper bag on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In small quantities, this will keep them from sprouting for two to three months -- if you have them around that long. Some people thread them into nylon hose, tying knots between each onion, then hang them in a cool, dark place.

GRILLED SWEET ONIONS

The sweetness of Vidalia onions really shines when grilled in May menus. Use them to top a green salad or a medley of other vegetables for a warm-weather supper.

2 Vidalia or other sweet onions

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Thinly slice onions and separate into rings, then place in self-sealing bag. Add vinegar, oil and thyme. Seal and shake well to evenly coat onions.

When grill is hot, slide onions out of bag and place on grill pan. Grill over medium coals, turning frequently, until soft and golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

SWEET ONION SALAD DRESSING OR MARINADE

Use this Texas-style salad dressing to marinate food for the grill or toss with bitter greens, such as escarole, for an unusual salad.

1/4 cup minced Vidalia or other sweet onion

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon juice or to taste

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced

In blender or food processor, puree onion, oil, water, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and garlic. Taste for seasoning. Makes about 1 cup.

FRESH MOZZARELLA, TOMATO AND SWEET ONION SALAD

This dish, a variation on an Italian appetizer, couldn`t be simpler.

Leaf lettuce, torn

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thickly sliced

2 ripe beefsteak or 4 roma tomatoes, thickly sliced

1 small sweet onion, very thinly sliced into rings

Balsamic vinegar

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Arrange lettuce on 4 salad plates. Top with slices of mozzarella, tomatoes and onion. Drizzle with vinegar and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Makes 4 servings.

(Mary Carroll is the author of the ``No Cholesterol (No Kidding!) Cookbook,`` Rodale Press.)

(c) 2001, Mary Carroll. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services.

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Author: Mary Carroll