Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

During the annual Onion Day festivities last fall, there was a lull in the general hilarity. Jin-Wook took the opportunity to mention that he had a good and reliable source of red onions. Knowing that grocery stores do not regularly stock these tasty morsels, I expressed an interest in buying some the next time his red onion dealer came to town.

The onions were planted, the winter passed and Onion Harvest Day arrived a couple of weeks ago. Jin-Wook said, "Mr. Ya-ta, would you red yang-pa like?" When I agreed that I still like them he said, "Red yang-pa here. W10,000 give me." So I did. And he gave me a 40 pound bag of red onions. (He said it was only 10 kg, but I weighed it when I got home.) I filled a big orange grocery bag with as many red onions as it would hold and gave them to the vegan waygookin in town. I've made potato salad and over-loaded it with red onions. I put lots in my pizza sauce. I've put onions on things I don't normally put onions on. (I'm normally a two-onion-a-week kind of guy.)

I still have 20 pounds of red onions left. I have no cool dark place to store them AND I'll be changing jobs soon (if I ever find one). Who has a good idea for:

a) storing the darn things so they don't rot and drip all over the place, and... [PS: my veggie crisper is already full]

b) What can I do to use up all these red onions? Onion soup is tasty, but this isn't really onion soup weather. Who has a recipe for using up 20 pounds of red onions?

[OiGirl]

Can you chop and freeze some? How about dehydrating them?

[Ya-ta Boy]

Two questions, Ms OiGirl:

a) Do onions freeze well? Never thought of it.

b) How would one go about dehydrating an onion or 20? This could be the best solution if the process isn't too difficult.

[pocketfluff]

[jaganath69]

Pickle them, make sauerkraut or chutney.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Googled up how to dehydrate. That's a no go with the facilities I have. Pickling in a jar is out. Need baby onions for that.

HOWEVER, the idea of pickling sounded like a taste treat. Found a recipe for pickling red onions. And I had all the ingredients. The first batch is on the kitchen counter....In 4 hours I'll let you know how they turned out. Thanks for the inspiration. (They only last a week, so not a solution to the 20 pound problem, but the recipe sounds like they might make a good addition to my supper.)

For the rest of the onions, it looks like freezing is the way to go. The first batch is in the freezer now. Should be able to freeze a few pounds this evening.

[OiGirl]

Sounds good. Let us know how it works out (and how they taste when you use them.)

[pet lover]

There's a vegan in that tiny town in which you live?!?! Wow.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[pet lover]

Get him to cook for you.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I tried the pickled onions and they're pretty darn good. A little crunchy, sourish-tart and purple. I see no reason any kind of onion couldn't be used. A decent cold side dish.

PICKLED RED ONIONS

2 teaspoons salt
1 large red onion, sliced

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teasopoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon oregano (dry)
2 cloves garlic, split
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vinegar

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add the 2 teaspoons of salt and the sliced onions. Return to a boil. Boil for a minute or two until the onions begin to soften.

2. Drain and put the onions in a bowl.

3. Grind the peppercorns and cumin seeds and add to the onions with the 1/4 t salt, garlic and vinegar. Add enough cold water to just cover the onions.

4. Let set for 4 hours.

(The recipe says they will keep for a week.)

I'd still like to know why purple onions are called red.

[pet lover]

I've always wondered why we call people with orange hair "red heads". So hard to explain to kids why black hair is black hair, brown hair is brown hair, orange hair is red hair and yellow hair is blond/e hair.

[Ya-ta Boy]

And red gold is a complete mystery to me.

[pocketfluff]

And 'Russian Blue' to describe this will be a complete mystery to me:



Isn't that gray?

[pet lover]

I always assumed it was referring to the eyes. But I guess that sometimes the eyes aren't blue. So, I'm stumped, too.