This week over at bonappetit.com's Project Recipe, we made Stacked Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde and Cheese.
THE RECIPE: Stacked Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde and Cheese
I took a semi-homemade approach and used store-bought chicken and salsa verde for the recipe, so I thought it only fair that I pickle the red onions myself.
It looked easy enough: pickling red onions makes them absolutely wonderful for sandwiches and salads, and basically involves nothing more than sticking them in vinegar for a few hours. But first, they have to be sliced.
I hate chopping, slicing, or even looking at onions. I'm a highly sensitive person. I mean that emotionally (you have probably already insulted me), socially (I can anticipate people's needs, I pick up on all the slightest cues), and physically (delicate constitution, heat rashes).
I sound like a lot of fun, don't I? So it comes as no surprise to me that my eyes are very sensitive to onions. I don't even have to be the one doing the chopping to have a good cry. Once, while preparing a summer succotash, I was wiping my eyes so often on my upper arms that I had huge mascara smears on my biceps. As an onion-sensitive individual I have tried several tricks:
1. Not chopping them. This works fairly well. However, nearly every savory recipe I've ever been interested in starts with a great onion chop fest, so...I've tried other approaches.
2. Goggles. This works. I think. I sometimes think techniques just serve to befuddle you so soundly that your brain forgets to react to the chemicals stinging your eyes. But these do protect your eyes. And luckily, I am a pack rat so I have my Barracudas from middle school swim team. There are even goggles made specifically for chopping onions, but come on. As much as I love kitchen equipment I can't imagine investing in goggles specifically for onions. That's letting the vegetable win.
3. Matches in your teeth. I have no idea why I tried this. But I did, several times. I think the idea is the sulfur on the matches traps or does something to the gas emitted by the onions. I did not have success with this method.
4. Refrigerating or freezing your onions. Don't worry, I only put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. This helps for sure but does not eliminate the problem.
5. Running water. Much like the great "seed a pomegranate under water" trick--but less effective. If you are just peeling an onion this is fine but I do not recommend slicing an entire onion under running water. It's tricky. If you're me.
6. Opening windows and putting a fan on. Sure, why not? It helps a little.
7. Using the proper technique and a sharp knife. Bonappetit.com has a good, quick onion chopping video that made the whole process easier. And sure, I try to always use a sharp knife (here's ba's video on knife sharpening).
8. Having a good cry. It makes them sting less for sure. And, truly, I seem to have little choice. I know they didn't mean to hurt me, I'm just really sensitive. Sniffle, sniffle.
Please, Let me know if you have any good tricks.
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You cut right next to a burning candle. Usually it works.
Save your candle stubs since it works better with a short candle --and it give you an excuse to keep a pretty old candle holder in the kitchen. Skinny candles seem to work better than votives for some reason.
Then you can use her other famous trick and blow over your finger to extinguish it without a lot of smelly smoke
-gala1