Mini Pearl

One of the things that I like the best about my expat life is grocery shopping. Instead of being a rote chore, where I know pretty much exactly what's in each aisle, shopping here is always interesting. I never know what I may find.

This weekend's discovery: fresh pearl onions. When I saw these little treats I was very excited. Every year for Thanksgiving my family eats creamed pearl onions, but we always use frozen onions. I'd never seen them fresh before.

The red flag should have gone up when, on line to check out, the woman in front of me asked what I was going to do with them. She – an authentic German – had never seen them before either.

Saturday night's dinner was to include onion chutney made with the mini pearls. Not two minutes into the project did I realize that the chutney was doomed. These little guys, though adorable, are a pain in the neck to work. Each little onion needed to be peeled individually, a project that made shelling fava beans seem fast and exciting.

For anyone interested in cooking pearl onions, my tip is: Stick with the frozen ones!