Roasted pearl onions are rich in flavor and nutrients. This is a great and colorful side to serve with my Kohlrabi Red Chard Lasagne and with fish and beef entrees.
Don't fret about the peeling of the onions. I'll provide instructions for a rapid and easy peeling process.
Advance preparation:
- Put a 11/2 or 2 quart sauce pan 3/4's full of water on a range burner set on high to boil.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a large mixing bowl of ice and water.
- Set a large colander in the sink.
Ingredients:
- Red pearl onions, 1 bag
- Yellow pearl onions, 1 bag
- White pearl onions, 1 bag (optional)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Baking dish with lid
Instructions:
Sit at a table and slice the root end off of each onion and drop the onions in a mixing bowl.
Pour all of the onions into the pan of boiling water to boil for exactly 1 minute and no more. Set the timer. When the minute is up, pour the onions and the water into the colander you have in the sink to drain off the boiling water. Then pour the onions into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When the onions have cooled, take the onions out of the ice water and put them back in the mixing bowl and take yourself and the bowl to a work table. (Stand at the counter if you like ... but this grandpa likes to sit 'n peel).
Set your work table up with an empty dish for the peels, a baking dish for the onions, a bottle of olive oil, and your salt shaker. Put an Uncle Earl CD on your boom box and feel the Appalachians when they sing! (Do a Google search ... your lookin' for bluegrass music ... from 5 women who call themselves Uncle Earl.) Now you can do a bit of wigglin' as you peel!
Now take the load off you feet by sitting down at the table! With the onion bowl in front of you ... we're goin' to do the easy peel. Pick up a pearl onion up by the stem ... squeeze the stem of a onion with your thumb and fore finger in a way to pull the onion stem and peel up and push the onion down ... so that a peeled onion will just pop out into your bowl. Just keep doin' it. Most of the onions will pop out of the skin so fast ... well ... you may have to swear at one or two onions that don't shed their skin easy as they ought. Once you get the hang of it, you'll marvel at how easy it is to peel a pearl onion. (If it ain't as easy as fallin' off a log ... you're doin' something wrong.)
When your baking dish is full of pearls pretty red, yellow, and white pearls ... drizzle olive oil over them ... so as to lightly coat all of the onions with olive oil ... salt the onions ... and put the baking dish in your 350 degree oven ... 40 to 50 minutes will likely be enough to bake the onions tender. Serve with your dinner entree and enjoy the fabulous full flavors of pearl onions.
The picture displays a few red and yellow pearl onions 'cause that's all I had the day I made the dish for supper and for the blog. I believe Trader Joe's sometimes sells a mixed bag of all three. If so, I'd buy and prepare two bags because I love to eat roasted pearls! I usually buy a bag of each ... red, yellow, and white. I love to serve this side when I bake my Kohlrabi and Red Chard casserole. You can't beat this delicious combination.
Well, I've downloaded Uncle Earl, Waterloo and getting ready to peel onions. Thanks for the info on both. I'm smiling and a peeling! Weeeehaw!
Posted by: Debo Ing | 12/28/2011 at 12:58 PM
Hope you enjoy the own-yons and celebrate the music of Uncle Earl!
Posted by: Ross Pipes | 12/28/2011 at 08:45 PM