Easy Pearl Onion Peeling Hack: 15 Minutes to Perfection

Pearl onions are the darlings of holiday buffets. Creamed onions are as traditional at Thanksgiving as are cranberries, and as traditional at Christmas as is eggnog. Braised, glazed, creamed, roasted, grilled, added to soups and stews, any way you enjoy them, they are delicious, but many people forego dealing with them because the peeling seems so daunting. If you're a pearl onion rookie, here is the best and easiest way to peel them. Start to finish it only consumes about fifteen minutes of your time, and is well worth it for the fresh taste.

This mixed assortment from Melissa's Produce is by far my favorite. Not only is the variety of sizes and colors visually appealing, but the combination of tastes is unsurpassed.

Now, let's get started. First of all, bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you're waiting, cut the stem end (the end OPPOSITE of the root end) off of each onion. It may seem tedious, but you can develop a rhythm and knock them out in no time.

Discard the tips and put the onions in a small bowl. When the water reaches a full, rolling boil, dump the onions in all at once. Allow the water to return to a boil and boil them for three minutes. While they are boiling, fill the empty onion bowl with ice water and set a strainer over the sink.

When the three minutes of boiling time are up, strain the onions and immediately dump them into the bowl of ice water.

Allow them a couple of minutes to cool and then, one by one, squeeze the root end, and out will pop your peeled onion! Yes, there will be a tiny bit of waste, but nothing beats this method for speed, and aren't we all busy cooks? In some cases the root end may remain attached so either pinch it off or cut it off. That's it!

Minimal waste, maximum speed. Perfect for busy cooks!

 

Glazed Pearl Onions and Grapes

When I saw the recipe for this dish on epicurious.com I had to laugh to myself. The creator of this recipe said that she did so out of laziness. She found peeling so many pearl onions to be tedious, so decided to mix them with grapes. Obviously, she doesn't know my simple method for peeling pearl onions, nevertheless this dish is genius. It is unique, delicious, and an excellent side dish for beef, chicken, pork, or a great addition to your deli platter or cheese tray. It goes together in a snap, it keeps in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, and can be served warm or at room temperature. I tried it out of curiosity, and I'm really glad that I did. You need to give this a try too. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Glazed Pearl Onions and Grapes

20 ounces Melissa’s red pearl onions
1/3 cup Sherry vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 1/2 cups Melissa’s Christmas Crunch Grapes (about 1/2 pound)

 
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle or lower third.

Blanch unpeeled pearl onions in boiling water 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel onions and trim off root ends.

Bring onions, vinegar, and water to a simmer in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet with sugar, butter, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.

Uncover skillet and transfer to oven. Roast, stirring once or twice, until most of liquid has evaporated, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir in grapes and roast, stirring once or twice, until liquid glazes onions and grapes, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

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Pattie's Pickled Padrons & Pearls

Picture it: You’re into the holiday home stretch. Everything, and I mean everything, is under control. You are ticking things off of your “To Do” list: one, two, three. You are feeling so proud and so smug about sailing through such a successful holiday that you’re all ready to kick off your shoes and celebrate. And then, as you roast your toes by the fire while sipping some mulled cider, the lights sparkling on the tree, it hits you! You’ve forgotten one gift. Before you put on your track shoes and beat it down to Walgreen’s to sift through the detritus of holiday remnants, here is a gift that is so quick and easy to put together that it is almost instant. Enter Pattie’s Pickled Padrons & Pearls (or whatever combination of onions and peppers that you happen to have on hand, seriously, you can use almost any kind.)

Grab yourself a bowl, toss in some peppers and onions, boil up some pickling solution, stir it all together, and artfully arrange it in a jar. That’s pretty much it. A jute, raffia, or colorful ribbon along with a tag makes this look as though it had been planned for ages.

Here is the recipe that I used, but feel free to substitute. If you saw my post about How to Peel Pearl Onions, then you should already have some in your freezer or fridge. Good! While you can use quartered shallots or cipollini onions, pearl onions, particularly a variety of them, make this look really special.

For peppers, I chose Melissa’s Padrons because, like Shishitos, they are fun little peppers that are largely mild, but every once in a while you get a hot one. Think of it as pickled pepper roulette.

Both peppers and onions make an excellent addition to a hero or sub sandwich, a spicy addition to a salad, or a welcome addition to antipasto or cheese plates.

Pattie's Pickled Padrons & Pearls

1/2 pound Melissa’s Padron Chiles or Shishito Peppers
6-8 pearl onions, blanched and peeled

½ cup white wine vinegar

½ cup cider vinegar
 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
Pinch of coarse kosher salt

Place peppers and onions into a medium bowl.

In medium saucepan place vinegars, sugar, water, fresh thyme, garlic, dried peppers, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and allow to simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and slowly pour over peppers and onions. Cover bowl with a towel and allow to stand until the mixture reaches room temperature. Transfer to pint-size jars, pressing peppers and onions into liquid to cover. Screw jar lids on tightly and chill at least 4 hours or up to a week.

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