Beer-Battered Onion Rings

These onion rings were a happy accident. And now I'm certain I'm going to make them every weekend as a special treat!
What happened was this... I was making the Beer-Battered Tofu recipe in Isa Chandra Mosokowitz's fabulous cookbook, Vegan Brunch*, and I just happened to have some batter left over. So, my husband suggested that I "pick any vegetable and fry it up in the batter." I had an organic onion sitting on my counter about to go smushy, and the rest is history! This was, of course, my first attempt at onion rings. I think I will cut them a lot thicker next time. But thick or thin, it doesn't really matter, they were great!

You will need...
1 to 2 large white or yellow onions, sliced and rings separated

And here's the recipe for the batter, from the cookbook Vegan Brunch:

Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold dark beer
1/2 cup cold water
Salt, for sprinkling

• Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Pour in about a half inch of oil. Proceed to make the batter.
• In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to combine the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the beer and water. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Test the oil by dropping in a drop of the batter; if rapid bubbles form around it then the oil is not hot enough. If you have a thermometer then it should read between 325 - 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Okay that's the batter from the cookbook.
The rest is up to me. Here it goes...

• Dump as many onion rings as you think will fit into your frying oil into your batter and coat them thoroughly. Your hand are going to get messy!
• Gently slip the rings, one at a time, into the oil and try to keep them from being too crowded. Drop medium sized rings into the larger ones, and so forth, but don't pile them all on top of one another. 
• After a minute or so, flip the rings over and allow to fry on the other side. It won't take as long this time, just somewhere between thirty seconds and a minute.
• Allow cooked rings to drain on several paper towels. 
• If you're going to salt them, it's best to do it immediately after removing them from the oil, to help it stick. 
• Repeat with remaining rings.
• Then dip in ketchup and enjoy!

*If it seems like I'm yapping about Vegan Brunch a lot, it's because I've only had this cookbook in my possession for a couple of weeks. I know it's been around for several years, but it's new to me. And I am excitedly discovering all that it has to offer, which is a whole lot of yum!