Imagine life without onions. I can't. In fact, I rarely return from the grocery store without some version of the allium in hand. Whether red, white or yellow; scallions, leeks, or shallots: onions are a critical player in my kitchen. I count on them to perk up simple pastas and rice dishes; make rich, flavorful broths; and lend their caramelized sweetness to roast potatoes or chicken.
And yet, I rarely considered pearl onions until we began to talk rather seriously aboutfrozen foodshere at Epi. That's when I realized I hardly notice the little guys at the market, and—when I do—I pass them over with little consideration. They just weren't on my radar.
But then I began to think about all of the things I could do with pearl onions. Of course they are great increamy, bubbling pot piesand warmingsoups, but they also make a respectableside dishon their own.
And, something else I learned: cocktail onions? Those are pearl onions, too—pickled. And frozen pearl onions? Well, they're perfect forpickling.
While they are sold fresh, pearl onions are more often available frozen. And while ready availability is certainly a plus, here's what's best about frozen pearl onions: they come pre-peeled. Even though there aretricks for peeling pearl onions, not having to mess with all of that fiddly work saves both time and frustration.
Setting out on a course to develop a recipe using my frozen pals, I turned to a classic: the beloved gratin of creamed pearl onions. My fellow food editor, Anna Stockwell, suggested partnering the pearls with fennel. Then I tossed together some crispy spiced breadcrumbs for the topping, using a hint of citrus to balance the richness, and the fronds from my fennel for an extra hit of flavor (which also helps you#wasteless).
你能猜猜我要服务吗?ab如何out a steak and a Gibson, complete with cocktail onion?
