They make a pretty little Dish...

Something else that was enjoyed at our Thanksgiving feast, much to the delight of my father and his wife as well as Husband, were Creamed Onions and Peas! This old fashioned recipe (first documentation of creamed onions in America was in American Frugal Housewife by Susannah Carter in 1803) never found it's way on to my childhood Thanksgiving plate, but that is not the case for Husband.

Husband's family has made this sort of dish most every Thanksgiving of his life and therefore, he has been missing it the last 5 years that he has hosted his own dinner. But this year: The Sixth Year, that all changed!

I wanted to give Husband a really good Thanksgiving as he gave me a really good one last year (He proposed the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2012). So I tracked down several recipes from his mother that I knew he would like and tweeked a couple of them, knowing he liked more of this or that.

So here it is:
The Not-A-Family-Recipe-But-Still-Really-Good Creamed Onions and Peas (my addition) Recipe:
Ingredients:
4 cups frozen pearl onions
1 cup chicken broth (Or vegetarian broth)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch (I used 1 tablespoon flour)
1 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
1 bag of frozen peas
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
2 tsp lemon juice
pinch nutmeg

Method:
Bring onions brother, sherry, thyme, and bay leaf to a boil in 12 inch non stick skillet over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid evaporates, 12 - 15 minutes.
Whisk cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of milk together in a small bowl until well combined.
Stir cream, remaining milk, cornstarch mixture, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and peas into onions and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium- low and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and onion are tender and peas are cooked, 8 - 10 minutes.
Turn off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of chives, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of chives.
Serves 8 to 10

This dish was very well received by our guests and I have been enjoying the leftovers, as I am programmed to do.


Until the next Thanksgiving meal...


**The title for today comes from Art of Cookery Made Plain & Easy by Hannah Glasse in 1747 in reference to her recipe "Ragoo of Onions". The full quote reads: They make a pretty little Dish, and are very good.**