Local markets continue to offer an abundance of incredible looking produce. The weather and other growing conditions mean that unless some freak storm or something catastrophic occurs in the Mt. Provinces, we will have a great selection for another month or two, or until the hottest months of summer and the height of the El Nino draught dries up fields. I was at the markets yesterday, and came home with an incredible amount of produce, much of it having been featured on this blog before, but I also managed to get two bunches of these stunning fresh, young onions…
With their tops still green, these onions must have been harvested the day before and they were brilliant. Incredibly juicy, milder than their older relations, and not as harsh. I never find pearl onions here, a smaller variety often used in stews or even chicken pot pies, but the smaller onions in this bunch would do very nicely as a substitute. I sliced up several to use in a stir-fried clam dish and they were delicious. They were also great in a fresh tomato, onion and chili relish. I suspect they would also be brilliant very thinly sliced and on a hot juicy hamburger with some melted cheese… At PHP25 a bunch, they were a bargain, even when purchased at the Salcedo market which has simply ridiculous prices for produce these days…
18 Responses
those probably cost 5 peso per bunch in baguio. my grandmama puts the green leaves in fish sinigang. pang-alis lansa she said. good memories. ü
By Salcedo Market having ridiculous prices these days , do you mean ridiculously low or ridiculously high?
hmmmmm! caramelize onions..
They look so fresh and simply awesome!!
I love onions,cooked or raw, even though after eating it my son comments “mom, you have bad breath!” They really add that ommph to any dish.Did you get these from FTI or Salcedo Market?
Caramelized then deglazed with balsamic vinegar and a bit of honey, then reduced to a glazy, slightly jammy consistency; so good over goat’s cheese on a piece of grilled bread or polenta!
Sorry… the photo was inspiring!!! :-)
Betchay, these particular ones were from Salcedo. Gej, I meant ridiculously high produce and fruit prices at Salcedo. I do 97% of our produce requirements shopping at FTI, Seaside and other markets. I go to Salcedo for some herbs and unusual items from Herbana Farms and several other cooked food vendors. But their produce prices are bordering on outrageous these days… But if there are folks willing to pay them…
your right MM. How come the organizers of Salcedo Market tolerate the ridiculous high prices of the fresh produce of their sellers?
Iyan ang palaging ginigisa noon ni Nanay kapag nagpapababa sila ng kolesterol. Ewan ko naman kung paano bumaba ang kolesterol nila kung sasahugan naman ng hipong suwahe at saka konting sotanghon…Pero ang sarap, huh! Akala naming mga bata noon ay pagkaing pangmatanda lang dahil sino namang bata ang nagkagusto sa lasa ng isang maliit na piraso ng bawang? ‘Yun pa kayang halos isang buong plato na bawang?
MM paano mo niluto ito?
These do look really nice! Are they more like the “white onions” in US/ I wonder if anybody has tried growing Vidalia onions in RP? They are incredibly delicious & sweet even eaten raw. How about the small purple ones – I think they are called “sibuyas na mura” ? Which look like shallots but have a stronger though nice flavor. I remember them being sold plaited like garlic heads. These are the ones that are great with green mangoes & tomatoes fresh salad. I’ve never found a good substitute for them here in the US – not shallots nor red onions!
Go buy more, MM next time and pickle them using David Momofuku’s recipe…..really, really good! Sometimes, there are onion “volunteers” that come up in the spring. Since I don’t know what variety they are, they end up pickled while still young as well. You can pickle the whole thingey….tops and bulb…or just the bulb if you prefer! If too big, quarter them or halves keeping the bottom (where the roots are but trimmed) intact!
Momofuku’s recipe has zip and since it has peppers (hot!)….it is DIET food!
Vicky Go: if you are into planting onions, try the variety called Kelsae…..very, very sweet. There is also another one called Ranier.
Silly Lolo: if your daughter wants to make this pickled onions, better not give it to Silly Lola….she is HOT enough! ….or maybe not give it to you for you are even HOTTER!!!!
jean, that sounds like a good recipe….
bettyq, good idea, I just made several of the momofuku pickles over the holidays, will have to make some more soon.
Re reddish-purple small onions – I think they are called “sibuyas Tagalog” not sibuyas na mura which is scallions or green onions. Sorry!
They look so nice!! :)
I want some!!! :)
Salcedo Market seems tempting to go to this weekend!!
Where can I find shallots in Manila? Or are these tiny onions acceptable substitutes? Thanks! :)
The shallots referred to in western cookbooks and cooking shows are typically not available here. But I use the smaller red onions in bunches as a substitute.