Pearl onions braised with butter and chicken broth, great side dish for roast beef or stews.
Braised onions are the accompaniment of choice with beef bourguignon, but they also pair beautifully with roast beef and other stews.
Trader Joe’s sells a pack of multi-colored pearl onions that make a great stew.
You have to peel them, which needs to be blanched first, and then cut off the ends so you can strip off the skins.
You can of course skip this first step by using pre-peeled frozen pearl onions. I can tell you that if you go for the blanche and peel approach, it’s worth it. These onions are delicious.
You can cook braised pearl onions two ways – “brown braised,” where the onions are first sautéed in butter until golden brown, or “white braised,” where the onions are simply braised, then cream is often added and reduced.
Braised Onions
ingredients
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1 lb pearl onionsabout 1 inch in diameter
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butter
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chicken broth or water (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
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salt and pepper
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sugar (for brown braised onions)
method
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Blanch onions:
Blanch the onions in boiling water for a minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Cut off the ends; slip off the skins.
If using frozen pearl onions, thaw and drain before the next step.
2a For “white braised” onions:Place onions in a saucepan in one layer, with chicken broth or water rising halfway. Add 1 tablespoon butter, season lightly, cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes, or until tender.
2b For “brown braised” onions:Before sautéing, sauté peeled onions in butter in one layer until lightly browned. Then add liquid, salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar; cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes, or until tender.
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Uncover and boil off excess liquid:
Cover, boil off excess liquid and fold in another tablespoon of butter, if you like.
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(Optional):
For creamed onions, add some whipped cream to white braised onions when they are just soft. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened, baste.
Recipe from Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 97 | calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 14g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
