blake murphy wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:17:34 -0700, Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>>
>> But i love to brag about my local Asian shopping area, its the only
>> thing that really keeps me in the area i am, i suppose when i
>> eventually pry myself loose and move to Ariz. or New Mex. you will
>> all have to put up with me raving about my own garden produce
>
> i enjoy reading about it, joseph.

Ditto.

nancy

In article >,
Rhonda Anderson > wrote:


> I've never bought frozen onions but certainly might be tempted if I had to
> cook a large amount. Usually even before getting to the end of two onions
> my nose is running furiously, my eyes hurt, buckets of tears are running
> down my face and I'm in danger of chopping off a finger because I can't
> keep my eyes open well enough to see what I'm doing :-)

I've seldom had a problem with cutting onions. My wife usually has a
problem. But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
love. It took forever to peel them. I assume the frozen ones were
peeled by some kind of machine, otherwise they would cost a fortune!

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Dan Abel = Duplicitous NetKKKop [WAS: DK StinKin' MOTHER****ER]"
(subject of post on rec.food.cooking date April 15, 2009}

> Rhonda Anderson > wrote:
>
>
>> I've never bought frozen onions but certainly might be tempted if I had
>> to
>> cook a large amount. Usually even before getting to the end of two onions
>> my nose is running furiously, my eyes hurt, buckets of tears are running
>> down my face and I'm in danger of chopping off a finger because I can't
>> keep my eyes open well enough to see what I'm doing :-)
>
>
With many recipes dehydrated onions work perfectly... I use them often,
they're especially handy when I only want a small amount rather than hack
off a quarter onion for tuna salad, and I hate to save cut onions (they
stink), but dehy would work for someone in your dilemma as well, and they
actually cost no more than fresh onions, and they rehydrate in minutes.
Dehy onions are available sliced, minced, and toasted... the toasted are
much better than using the very salty soup mixes... plain minced or toasted
are especially good baked into breads. And they have a very long shelf
life, years and years.

Dan Abel wrote:

> I've seldom had a problem with cutting onions. My wife usually has a
> problem. But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
> creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
> love. It took forever to peel them. I assume the frozen ones were
> peeled by some kind of machine, otherwise they would cost a fortune!
>
Did you boil them for a few minutes before squeezing them out of their skin?

Goomba wrote:
> Dan Abel wrote:
>
>> I've seldom had a problem with cutting onions. My wife usually has a
>> problem. But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
>> creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
>> love. It took forever to peel them. I assume the frozen ones were
>> peeled by some kind of machine, otherwise they would cost a fortune!
>>
> Did you boil them for a few minutes before squeezing them out of their
> skin?

That's what I do. Then you just take a tiny slice off the top and the
onions pop out.

-Tracy

In article >,
Goomba > wrote:

> Dan Abel wrote:

> > But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
> > creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
> > love. It took forever to peel them.

> Did you boil them for a few minutes before squeezing them out of their skin?

I don't remember what he did. I don't think he's cooked for twenty
years (he's quite senile now). They were very good, but I was pretty
sure that I would never do it. I haven't!

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Dan Abel = Duplicitous NetKKKop [WAS: DK StinKin' MOTHER****ER]"
(subject of post on rec.food.cooking dated April 15, 2009}

Dan wrote:

>>> But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
>>> creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
>>> love. It took forever to peel them.
>
>> Did you boil them for a few minutes before squeezing them out of their
>> skin?
>
> I don't remember what he did. I don't think he's cooked for twenty
> years (he's quite senile now). They were very good, but I was pretty
> sure that I would never do it. I haven't!

I made this last Thanksgiving, and it was *totally* worth the effort:

Peas and Pearl Onions with Oyster Cream
From _Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine_

3 cups fresh or frozen English peas
1 cup peeled pearl onions [1]
4 tablespoons butter
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into quarter-inch dice
1 teaspoon diced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 slices country ham, diced
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons vermouth
2 shucked oysters
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a mixing bowl with ice
water and set aside.

Place the peas in a strainer or colander and submerge the peas into the
rapidly boiling water. Cook the peas until fairly tender -- 2 minutes for
frozen. Lift the strainer out of the water and plunge the peas into the ice
water.

To the same pot of boiling water add the pearl onions and cook until tender,
about 7 minutes, then drain and add to the peas in the ice water. After the
vegetables are completely chilled, lift them out and refrigerate.

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add
the parsnip, shallot, garlic, ham, and curry power and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the vermouth and oysters and cook until the wine is almost completely
evaporated.

Add the cream and simmer until the parsnip is soft and the mixture is
reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the remaining butter
and strain the oyster cream sauce, pressing hard on the solids to extract
the maximum flavor.[2]

Fold the peas and pearl onions into the cream mixture and warm through
before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

NOTES:
[1] To peel the onions, I cut an X into the root end and put them into
boiling water for a minute. When cool enough to handle, I cut off the roots
and the skins slipped right off.

[2] The solids left in the strainer can be used to make a very good soup the
next day.

Bob

Rhonda Anderson wrote:
> Joseph Littleshoes > wrote in
> :
>
>
>>
>>blake murphy wrote:
>
>
>>>>I buy frozen pearl onions. They are good in beef stew and cheaper
>>>>than fresh.
>>>
>>>
>>>plus, you don't have to peel the damn things.
>>>
>>>your pal,
>>>blake
>>
>>*chuckle* i get fresh peas as well as onions, pearl, leek or
>>otherwise, i cant imagine buying a processed food if a fresh were
>>available.
>
>
> I don't think I'd consider frozen raw peas or onions to be a "processed"
> food.

I consider any thing not in its natural state 'processed' any thing in a
bag or box, frozen or other wise 'processed'.

> In many cases, depending on where you buy your produce and what
> you're buying, you may find that the produce that was snap frozen shortly
> after harvest retains more nutritional value than produce that is a week
> old.

Fortunately i get my produce the same day its picked, if i got to market
early enough i can get it off the delivery trucks.


>
> I buy frozen peas - not just because of the convenience but also because
> they're a damn sight cheaper. Unfortunately I'm not so lucky as you to have
> someone selling freshly shelled peas at bargain prices :-)
>
> I've never bought frozen onions but certainly might be tempted if I had to
> cook a large amount. Usually even before getting to the end of two onions
> my nose is running furiously, my eyes hurt, buckets of tears are running
> down my face and I'm in danger of chopping off a finger because I can't
> keep my eyes open well enough to see what I'm doing :-)

Sharpen your knife? i cook a lot of onions and a sharp knife works
wonders for controlling the fumes, a clean, quick cut and you don't even
notice the fumes.

Though one recipe i have that calls for 12 pounds of chopped onions (to
serve 6) forced me to buy a mezzo luna just for efficiency.
--
JL

>
>

Rhonda Anderson wrote:
>
> Joseph Littleshoes > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> >
> > blake murphy wrote:
>
> >>>
> >>>I buy frozen pearl onions. They are good in beef stew and cheaper
> >>>than fresh.
> >>
> >>
> >> plus, you don't have to peel the damn things.
> >>
> >> your pal,
> >> blake
> >
> > *chuckle* i get fresh peas as well as onions, pearl, leek or
> > otherwise, i cant imagine buying a processed food if a fresh were
> > available.
>
> I don't think I'd consider frozen raw peas or onions to be a "processed"
> food. In many cases, depending on where you buy your produce and what
> you're buying, you may find that the produce that was snap frozen shortly
> after harvest retains more nutritional value than produce that is a week
> old.

<snip>

Precisely. The English country house I sometimes used to cook in was
part of a working estate. The peas were frozen in the field, *minutes*
after harvest. Harvesting and freezing went well on into the night. The
supermarket 'fresh' peas weren't harvested even as early the day before.

blake murphy wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:17:34 -0700, Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>
>>But i love to brag about my local Asian shopping area, its the only
>>thing that really keeps me in the area i am, i suppose when i eventually
>>pry myself loose and move to Ariz. or New Mex. you will all have to put
>>up with me raving about my own garden produce
>
>
> i enjoy reading about it, joseph.
>
> your pal,
> blake

Thanks Blake, i do tend to get carried away with my descriptions of it.

Here's a link for a picture of the street i do most of my shopping on.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uFv6Tj7MBPo/SD...own-Street.jpg
--
JL

Nancy Young wrote:
> blake murphy wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:17:34 -0700, Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> But i love to brag about my local Asian shopping area, its the only
>>> thing that really keeps me in the area i am, i suppose when i
>>> eventually pry myself loose and move to Ariz. or New Mex. you will
>>> all have to put up with me raving about my own garden produce
>>
>>
>> i enjoy reading about it, joseph.
>
>
> Ditto.
>
> nancy

Thanks, its one of the few things i feel i can contribute something
unique to this group about.

Unfortunately it often degenerates into bragging about the great low
prices
--
JL

In article
>,
Dan Abel > wrote:

> In article >,
> Rhonda Anderson > wrote:
>
>
> > I've never bought frozen onions but certainly might be tempted if I had to
> > cook a large amount. Usually even before getting to the end of two onions
> > my nose is running furiously, my eyes hurt, buckets of tears are running
> > down my face and I'm in danger of chopping off a finger because I can't
> > keep my eyes open well enough to see what I'm doing :-)
>
> I've seldom had a problem with cutting onions. My wife usually has a
> problem. But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
> creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
> love. It took forever to peel them. I assume the frozen ones were
> peeled by some kind of machine, otherwise they would cost a fortune!

The frozen ones I get are about 1/3rd of the price of fresh. That's why
I buy them. :-)
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

In article >, Tracy >
wrote:

> Goomba wrote:
> > Dan Abel wrote:
> >
> >> I've seldom had a problem with cutting onions. My wife usually has a
> >> problem. But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
> >> creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
> >> love. It took forever to peel them. I assume the frozen ones were
> >> peeled by some kind of machine, otherwise they would cost a fortune!
> >>
> > Did you boil them for a few minutes before squeezing them out of their
> > skin?
>
> That's what I do. Then you just take a tiny slice off the top and the
> onions pop out.
>
> -Tracy

I'll have to try that. It's like blanching tomatoes for peeling? How
long do you time them for?
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> Joseph Littleshoes > wrote:
>
>
>>When the beans are near done i will divide the beans & stock in half and
>>make up one with leftover beef and the other with leftover chicken and
>>place in the freezer, and serve tonight's dinner of it with some fresh
>>prawns poached in the soup & served with garlic cornbread.
>>--
>>JL
>
>
> Beans with prawns? That's different. :-)

*eh* i ended up with a bit of white wine along with the prawns in the soup.

I like it, the big white beans and white wine and fish or seafood with them.

I put a dab of butter & some freshly ground pepper in a bowl as i serve
the thick soup. It was the elderly relatives idea to get up and tear
off a hunk of bread to eat with the soup.

Occasionally i cook the beans in a minimal amount of water/stock/wine
till it evaporates and i am left with cooked beans and little to no
broth. They go very very well when nicely seasoned with a piece of fish
or other sea food.
--
JL

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:20:05 -0700, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Dan wrote:
>
>>>> But pearl onions are something else again. My father made
>>>> creamed onions for us once. They were good, but it's a real labor of
>>>> love. It took forever to peel them.
>>
>>> Did you boil them for a few minutes before squeezing them out of their
>>> skin?
>>
>
> NOTES:
> [1] To peel the onions, I cut an X into the root end and put them into
> boiling water for a minute. When cool enough to handle, I cut off the roots
> and the skins slipped right off.
>

i'd never heard of this method, but i use them infrequently (almost
exclusively for stew), so i'll stick with the frozen. still good to know,
though.

your pal,
blake

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:23:52 -0700, Joseph Littleshoes wrote:

> blake murphy wrote:
>> On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:17:34 -0700, Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>>
>>>But i love to brag about my local Asian shopping area, its the only
>>>thing that really keeps me in the area i am, i suppose when i eventually
>>>pry myself loose and move to Ariz. or New Mex. you will all have to put
>>>up with me raving about my own garden produce
>>
>> i enjoy reading about it, joseph.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> Thanks Blake, i do tend to get carried away with my descriptions of it.
>
> Here's a link for a picture of the street i do most of my shopping on.
>
> http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uFv6Tj7MBPo/SD...own-Street.jpg

i envy you the various groceries. the chinatown in d.c. (small to begin
with) has become strangely attenuated, with an indoor arena abutting it and
an influx of chain restaurants. the one large grocery is gone, and
possibly the small ones as well. there's still a chinese apothecary, i
think.

the action has all moved to the suburbs, a function i guess of high rents
and the relocation of the various ethnic populations.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
Joseph Littleshoes > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > In article >,
> > Joseph Littleshoes > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>When the beans are near done i will divide the beans & stock in half and
> >>make up one with leftover beef and the other with leftover chicken and
> >>place in the freezer, and serve tonight's dinner of it with some fresh
> >>prawns poached in the soup & served with garlic cornbread.
> >>--
> >>JL
> >
> >
> > Beans with prawns? That's different. :-)
>
> *eh* i ended up with a bit of white wine along with the prawns in the soup.
>
> I like it, the big white beans and white wine and fish or seafood with them.

I'm always open to new concepts. I'm not currently eating beans but
I've not given them up for life. <g>

>
> I put a dab of butter & some freshly ground pepper in a bowl as i serve
> the thick soup. It was the elderly relatives idea to get up and tear
> off a hunk of bread to eat with the soup.

Gotta be corn bread for beans.

>
> Occasionally i cook the beans in a minimal amount of water/stock/wine
> till it evaporates and i am left with cooked beans and little to no
> broth. They go very very well when nicely seasoned with a piece of fish
> or other sea food.
> --
> JL

Okay, served as beans not bean soup. I can see that.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

On Apr 5, 5:23*pm, Wayne Boatwright >
wrote:

> pancake mix
>
I wouldn't ever use anything like Bisquick, but there are pancake
mixes that are a good base. The store brand we keep around has flour,
sugar, baking powder, soy oil, dextrose, buttermilk, egg yolk, salt,
cornstarch and egg white. You're supposed to add water and oil.
Instead, we add milk, half&half, egg yolk and vanilla. It's handy
because the flour, leavening and sugar are pre-combined, and the dried
buttermilk is there for some extra flavor.
My wife adds overripe bananas to hers.
Most pancake mixes are full of garbage, but the one brand on the shelf
with decent ingredients was the store brand.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright

--Bryan, aka Bobo Bonobo http://www.TheBonobos.com

In article >,
Omelet > wrote:


> I'll have to try that. It's like blanching tomatoes for peeling? How
> long do you time them for?

A couple of minutes in boiling water, trim the root end off and squeeze.
They pop out of the skin and about one layer of the onion like an
eyeball ;-) It's the only way to go for a quantity of pearl onions and
you don't weep while you're doing it. You squeeze just below the
thickest diameter on the top side.

leo

In article
>,
Leonard Blaisdell > wrote:

> In article >,
> Omelet > wrote:
>
>
> > I'll have to try that. It's like blanching tomatoes for peeling? How
> > long do you time them for?
>
> A couple of minutes in boiling water, trim the root end off and squeeze.
> They pop out of the skin and about one layer of the onion like an
> eyeball ;-) It's the only way to go for a quantity of pearl onions and
> you don't weep while you're doing it. You squeeze just below the
> thickest diameter on the top side.
>
> leo

Thanks! I'll have to give that a shot.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.