I made these on a whim. Sometimes there’s no better explanation for a recipe than that, so I’m not going to try to flesh it out for the sake of a chatty post. I had a ginormous red onion, and I had a bottle of Pumpkin Ale. They got together. End of story.
It’s not necessary to use a red onion, I just happened to have one. And you don’t necessarily need pumpkin ale, either, you can substitute any beer you have around. I’ll admit, though, that I like the subtle spice notes in a good pumpkin ale. A couple of rounds of pumpkin ale and a big plate piled high with these onion rings and you have yourself an instant fall themed party.
Pumpkin Ale Battered Onion Rings
What You Will Need
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 large or 2 medium red or yellow onions
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp onion salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 12 oz bottle pumpkin ale
- 2 tsp hot sauce
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a large pot to a depth of 3 or 4 inches. Heat over medium heat until it reaches 350F.
- Peel the onion and slice it into 1/2 inch slices. Carefully separate the rings.
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, onion salt, and lots of pepper. Stir in the beer until you have a thick batter, much like waffle batter. Stir in the hot sauce.
- Working in batches, dip the rings in the batter and then shake off the excess before dropping them into the hot oil. Do a few at a time so you don’t crowd them or they will stick to each other. If your oil is at the proper temperature, they should fry to golden in a couple of minutes. Flip once or twice during the cooking process.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Serve right away or, if necessary, heat leftovers in a 350F oven for a few minutes. Set a rack over a baking sheet and lay the onions on it so they will re-crisp.
Notes
Add a little more flour if your batter seems to thin, or a little water if it seems too thick.
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http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/09/pumpkin-ale-battered-onion-rings.html
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One thing, don’t expect these rings to be picture perfect…they are definitely a little disheveled, and that’s part of their charm. I’m always wary of perfectly formed onion rings There should be globs of fried batter sticking out in random directions, cracks where the onion shows through, and lots of lumpy, messy bits.
Enjoy the weekend!