our blog was described (i’m not going to link to this dumbass little girl) as a kind of diary of our little “normal” lives. i’m not sure our local pta would be happy with the labeling of OUR family as normal. i don’t know why this kind of thing rankles me soooo much, but it does. i take it (i admit to a certain amount of defensiveness) as a slam. that we’re -- in her view -- provincial. boring. unimaginative.
so at the risk of being labeled “normal” again, here goes:
one of the most satisfying cooking jobs is sauteing onions. i heard some “yesssss’s!” and also some “wha’s?” there. let me explain – as if you could stop me.
caramelizing onions. it means slowly sauteing onions to the point where they release their natural sugars and take on a nice tan color.
i like to finely chop my onions with a mandoline while heating up the saute pan. a little bit of oil and a liberal amount of butter, and then the onions go into the pan. the butter sizzles a little – not too much if you’ve heated the pan just right – and spreads out into the oil with a satisfying little bit of bubbling. the onions go into the pan. more sizzling. a little bit of kosher salt and pepper. now the fun begins.
the first transformation of the onions is from opaque to “clear.” this happens within a couple of minutes. i love the feel and the sound of my wooden spoon in the pan. if you don’t love this, too, then you probably DON’T love cooking. my theory is that if you love cooking, it’s not just the results you enjoy. it’s the senses that are tickled with each adventure in the kitchen. not just smell and taste. cooking is a very tactile experience. [one of the big things that i lost when m.s. came into my life is my “knife skills.” i was pretty good. i miss that. that’s why i can’t live without the mandoline.] and aural. the onions sizzle and pop. not too much popping, or your heat is too high.
if you’re patient, the big payoff’s coming. the caramelization. when i watch tv chefs, i’m always amazed at how many of them in the hurry to get the dish finished cheat on this step. 9 times out of ten, they don’t do this right. they just brown the onions. caramelization happens much more slowly than “browning.” when you do it right, the onions are thorough cooked, completely limp and at your mercy in the pan. keep cooking (steady. steady.), and they give up. the onions start to LIGHTLY brown, giving up.
you’ve won. you’ve tasted caramelized onions. the best cooks of caramelized onions are cooks who run a grill. they’ve got the space and time to keep a pile of “grilled” onions going, cooking them to perfection to grace your burger, hot dog, meatloaf.
i’m sorry (NOT) if i’ve bored you silly with my tale of the completely mundane and trite caramelized onion. look at it as a metaphor for my “normal” life if it makes you feel better.
Now is the perfect time to tell you THANK YOU for posting your Chicken Paprikash recipe. You are correct--it is so good and easy! Everyone raves about it, and I still can't believe how easy it is!
Posted by: moonandsun at February 9, 2004 10:55 AMthanks!
Posted by: stacey at February 9, 2004 10:56 AMI totally am with you on this one!! I truly get it!
Posted by: kathy at February 9, 2004 12:15 PMHEY, we are normal. it's all the other freakshows out there who are weird!
my staple side dish when cooking is sauteed onion and mushroooms! add a lil garlic and paprika. oh man, you're in heaven.
Posted by: mark at February 9, 2004 01:05 PMnow that you actually make mention of it, the feel of my wooden spoons in a pan is really soothing. i have my wife fooled that me cooking dinner each night is work, when in reality, it is my ultimate de-stressor. one thing, the bit of fresh garlic near the end of the process. put it in too early & the entire thing goes to hell.
Posted by: mike at February 9, 2004 03:00 PM~when someone comments on the normalcy that is life then there are bigger issues to be addressed by the commentor...~
Posted by: btezra at February 9, 2004 05:42 PMDerp is normal. The rest of ya'all are wacky tho.
Posted by: Kathy Howe at February 9, 2004 09:21 PMDamn It! I wanna be normal!
-d
Normal is not the first the word that comes to mind when I think of the *s. As for the now much-abused commentatrix, her loss.
thanks, brett! i edited out our last name -- sorry!
Posted by: Brett at February 10, 2004 01:35 AMProvincial, boring, unimaginative? You and Bill? Never! When people make comments like that, they obviously don't know you and understand you enough. They haven't spent time on your blog, picking up on the essence and nuances which make you and Bill come alive on your blog. And for the most part, it is not worth wasting one's energy on people like that. You are fabulously fabulous (((hugs))). Definitely not boring and unimaginative. Certainly not provincial.
Posted by: Michelle at February 10, 2004 03:46 AMwow you guys! thanks! you're not normal either! AND you don't suck either!
Posted by: stacey at February 10, 2004 04:12 AMEverytime I used the phrase "First of all" or "Second of all" I recall to mind the character Ruby that Renee Zellweger plays on Cold Mountain. If you've seen it, you get this. Normal - Functioning or occurring in a natural way; lacking observable abnormalities or deficiencies.
Well, first of all your blog is very natural, and second of all - never deficient, so I guess maybe you could be normal in these terms!
I love the smell of sauteing (sp?) onions? Is there anyone with a "normal" life? Who is this person--one of those angst-ridden teenagers blogging about the concerts they can't afford and their non-existent love life. Yes, I've stereotyped here. I know it.
Posted by: TW at February 10, 2004 03:12 PMworse, tw. a college girl. an undergrad college girl. one of those girls who is the smartest person she's ever known and fully expects that to continue. which, if she really *is* smart, won't. she'll learn to appreciate that the value in her being "smart" isn't that she's better than others. if she's lucky. and really smart.
here's my stereotype: the kind of college kid who throws around the names of her courses to impress those that she thinks have no understanding of what she's studying. remember how we used to do that? thought it was cool to say, i-chem or o-chem or mat sci or poly-sci, you know, cuz we were cool. and edumacated. not like all the other schmucks listening to us. [i mean the royal we -- not us! no. never!]
Posted by: stacey at February 10, 2004 04:30 PMAhhhh...I've run into a few of those online as well as in real life. And no, I NEVER did anything like that. Never. And go ahead and post her site--we need to go atrolling. Hehehe
Posted by: TW at February 10, 2004 04:51 PMmmm... you have made me SO hungry! i too get it -- i worked through college in a series of restaurant jobs, cooking both sunday brunches and dinners. there is a right way to saute onions, just as there is to brazing meats, poaching fish, or even grilling hash browns to that ultimate golden color and crunch. most people don't get it -- it's nice to find others that do!
damn it. i'm off to the kitchen.
Posted by: P at February 10, 2004 08:42 PMHa! You should totally post her site so that we can go troll her. And I wouldn't say you're "normal," per se. I mean, what's normal, anyway? Although, if you've been through hard times, wouldn't "normal" be a Good Thing?
And I get it about the onions. But I bet you already knew that about me :).
Posted by: Deb at February 11, 2004 02:42 PMi did, deb, i did know that about you. i LOVE reading your recipes.
Posted by: stacey at February 11, 2004 02:49 PMOkay, I'll admit, I'm too impatient to be a good cook. I'm working on it, though. I just never got the carmelized onion right...how long do you think it takes to get to that point? I think I pull them off too early because I figure it shouldn't take as long as it does.
I have to do this to replicate the chicken and sweet onion quesadillas they make at work. Soooo gooooood.
Posted by: Jody at February 12, 2004 06:43 PMI love the smell of onion and garlic. It's a comforting scent. At least for me. GAWD are we boring or what? I think you guys are anything but. Maybe what you guys write about is over her head. She doesn't get it so she claims boredom.
Me, Me, Me people never have their head out of their own ass anyway.
Is it wrong that the carmelized onion description made me very happy?
Posted by: Lee at February 13, 2004 03:11 PMThis was one of dozens of very satisfying posts I've read on your site. Being able to recognize and describe the important moments in your life is a remarkable talent. Don't change direction.
Posted by: Philip at February 13, 2004 10:24 PM