First come the sweet, sweet spring onions and then all of the others follow throughout the summer and fall.  We are lucky enough to share in the garden of an avid garlic/onion man so we generally have enough onions to get us through most of the winter.  Last year, I was fortunate in coming across 20 pound bags of very small red onions, grown in Canada, at a kinda commercial farm stand in upstate NY.  Believe you me, I picked up a couple of bags and made all types of aromatic onion dishes to be used throughout the winter as a wonderful accompaniment to roasts and for yummy sandwiches.  The following recipe is a standard in our house.

Tuscan Onions

Makes about 2 quarts

5 pounds blanched red or white pearl or very small onions, skinned (you can

also use large onions, peeled and thickly sliced)

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup golden seedless raisins

1 cup toasted pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Combine the onions with the olive oil, vinegar, red wine, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste on a baking sheet, tossing to coat evenly.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until the onions are very tender.

While the onions are roasting, place the raisins in a small, heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water.  Soak for about 15 minutes or until the raisins are plump.  Drain well and set aside.

When the onions are tender, remove them from the oven.  Stir in the plumped raisins along with the pine nuts.  Place in a nonreactive container and bring to room temperature.

Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to one month.