Caramelized Pearl Onions from Trish Gomez
Every year I seem to discover a “break-out” recipe. This is definitely a winner for this year. Thanks to my wonderful, lovely friend, Trish, for sharing this dish with me. It sparked lots of chatter on FB, and she is gracious to let me post it here.
All my family went crazy over it at Thanksgiving. Wanted to just roll around in it! It is a beautiful dish and I served it in my cute iron skillet to add even more visual appeal.
I can imagine that it will go fabulously well with grilled steaks. Sweet Bill spooned it on top of his mashed potatoes. My dear gluten-free girl also spooned the sauce on her potatoes and I think on her cornbread dressing.
So I’m thrilled to get to share Trish’s recipe with you. Enjoy and let me know how you serve it.
Yield: 6 – 8 servings
2 pounds pearl onions or boiler onions (I used boiler onions)
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 2 teaspoons dried thyme instead of nutmeg)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
3 cups heavy cream
- Peel onions: Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and add onions. Simmer 1 minute, then remove onions with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. Use a paring knife to cut the root end off each onion, then pinch each one at the stem to slip it off. You can use a paring knife to remove the skin if it doesn’t slip off easily. Note: if you use frozen pearl onions, you can skip this step since they are already peeled.
- Melt butter in a skillet and when hot, add onions. (I did this in two batches to keep the onions in one layer.) Slowly cook until onions are becoming golden brown. Stir gently only when they are ready to turn. You don’t want the onions to completely fall apart.
- Add brown sugar, nutmeg (thyme), salt and pepper. Continue to cook onions until very golden and caramelized. (At this point I added about 2 tablespoons brandy and cooked it down a few minutes. This is not necessary.)
- Add heavy cream to the level of the onions. (I used extra cream since we like lots of sauce.*) Cook slowly until sauce is thickened and nice and creamy brown. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
*The amount of cream you use doesn’t need to be exact.
Fig Preserves
Yield: about 10 cups preserves
8 cups chopped figs
8 cups sugar
½ cup water or fresh lemon juice
half a lemon, thinly sliced
- Place figs, sugar, water, and lemon slices in a Dutch oven or other large pot and stir to combine. Place over medium heat and cook carefully until mixture begins to simmer, stirring every so often. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring very often, until figs are translucent, and syrup is thick. This will take 2 – 6 hours.* As mixture thickens, be sure to stir and scrape down the sides of the pan often to keep mixture from settling to the bottom and burning.
- Fill hot, sterilized jars with boiling figs and syrup to within ½ inch of the top. Wipe sealing edge clean and put on lids and rings. Tighten rings just to “finger tight” or just to snug. Process in boiling water bath for 12 minutes.
*I like to cook my fig preserves until they are very thick, up to 6 hours. You might like yours thinner. Sometimes I pick the figs, cut them up, and start the cooking process – maybe an hour or more of cooking. Then if I get busy, I take them off the fire, cover the pot, and just leave it on the counter overnight. The next morning I continue the cooking process, until they are really good and thick.
I also like to make some of my preserves “caramelized.” For this, I simply cook the fig mixture until it is dark and almost gooey. Just be very careful not to burn them – keep the fire very low and stir often.
Spanish Rice
Yield: 8 servings
This is just how authentic Spanish Rice should taste! The recipe is from my friend, Chef Duane Thompson.
The “secret” ingredient is the tomato-flavored chicken bouillon. It gives the correct color and consistency to the rice. Rinsing the rice before cooking removes the sticky starch covering and keeps the rice fluffy, not gummy.
2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken stock
1 tomato-flavored bouillon cube (or you can use the granulated variety)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 – 3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
- Place rice in sieve and rinse well with cold water. Set aside to drain.
- Heat chicken stock and bouillon cube, stirring until cube is dissolved.
- In a large skillet with lid, heat vegetable oil; sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add rice to pan and sauté until translucent. Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and prepared chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Uncover rice and fluff with a fork.
My Mom’s Fabulous Green Beans
Yield: Serves 6 - 8
4 strips bacon, cut into slivers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2, 28-ounce can flat-cut green beans (also called Italian green beans)
2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
1 teaspoon pepper
- Fry bacon until it’s beginning to crisp. Add onions and cook until onions are tender. Drain off bacon grease.
- Drain one can of green beans but leave the other can with juice. Dump both cans into an oven-proof cooking pot. Add bacon and onions, salt and pepper and gently fold in. After heating, do not stir or the green beans will break up.
- Cook over medium heat just until beginning to simmer. Then turn heat to medium-low and cook gently 30-45 minutes, until green beans loose their “canned” look and are to your liking.
