The Rookie Cook

Georgia has the Vidalia onion, Washington has the Walla Walla, and here in my beloved Texas we have the 1015, a sweet onion named after its ideal planting date: October 15. It took 10 years of research before this Lone Star State legend was introduced to the world in 1985. Ten years to develop an onion strain with less pyruvate (the chemical that makes us cry) than any other in the world, available for all too short a time: mid-April to June every year.

Their taste isn’t the only thing sweet about them. Like all onions, they contain quercetin, which is an antioxidant that may inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Eating onions may also lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.

Health benefits aside, Texas 1015s are one of my favorite additions to an easy skillet dish my husband and I came up with last year, which we call “Tumbleweed Beef.”

Basic Ingredients

• 1-2 pounds of beef (sirloin, london broil, stew meat), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 sweet onions (1015s preferred, other sweet variety if you’re less fortunate), cut into bite-sized pieces

Dry Rub

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons fajita seasoning (no-salt if you can find it; if you can’t find a no-salt variety, then omit the 2 teaspoons of salt below; if you can’t find fajita seasoning, try 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon onion powder)
• 2 teaspoons salt (may omit if you’re watching your sodium intake or if you’re using fajita seasoning that includes salt)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark, packed)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (may omit if you don’t care for spicy, or reduce to suit your palate)
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (or if you don’t have fresh, use the equivalent amount of garlic powder)

Mix up the dry rub (you may need to use a fork to blend the brown sugar with the spices), and then add to the beef. My husband likes to add a little worchestershire sauce to the beef before mixing in the dry rub; I prefer lime juice. But you can forego both liquids if you want. Ideally, you want to put the beef back in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but if you can’t do that, it’ll still be tasty.

In a skillet (electric or otherwise), melt a couple tablespoons of butter and cook the onions on medium heat until they are just starting to turn golden brown on the edges. Add the beef. Brown beef all over, then reduce heat to simmer and let cook until beef is done. (This is usually about 20-30 minutes in our skillet; your mileage may vary depending on your equipment and if you like your beef rare, medium, or well done.)

Now here’s where you can really jazz things up by adding vegetables. Our favorite is broccoli, but I also think this works well with green peppers or carrots. You could also try just throwing in a handful of chopped/torn cilantro at the end. If you’ve never really experimented with a recipe before, I’d recommend you make the plain version at first so you get an idea of the taste, and then go from there. Remember that whatever ingredients you add must be able to work with the spice mix.

Serve over rice (our preference is Texmati) or on tortillas. If you go the tortilla route, you can add a little grated cheese or sour cream or pico de gallo (or fresh chopped tomatoes if you don’t know how to make pico de gallo). Makes for pretty yummy leftovers, too.

For more information about this Texas titan, look to the Aggies. After all, they’re the ones who developed it in the first place.