Having had only limited experience myself, I base the above headline on the advice handed out by Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer poet and Anglican cleric, the late Dean Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), who once wrote:-.
“There is in every cook’s opinion,
No savoury dish without an onion;
But less you’re kissing should be spoiled,
The onion must be thoroughly boiled.”
A recipe for boiled onions gathered from the era of Dean Jonathan Swift.
These onions should be cooked ‘country style’, as they were when large ovens where kept on the go all day and night. Same are very good when eaten with chops or steaks or with potato oaten cakes; known in the Irish countryside as ‘pratie oaten’.
Method.
One large onion per person with a little water. Place the onions in a baking tin, unpeeled, with about 1 inch of water, no more. Bake in a slow to moderate oven to 250° f. – 275° f. Electric; gas regulo 1 – 2 for 1 and 1⁄2 to 2 hours or until they are soft when squeezed.
To eat, the brown skin is then pulled back and cut off as the root and the onion is eaten with pepper, salt and a pat of butter. Latter cooking method is one of the most delicious ways of serving onions.
Pratie Oaten.
2 cups warm mashed potatoes. 1 cup fine oatmeal. ½ cup melted butter. Salt.
Work enough fine oatmeal, butter and a little salt into the mashed potato to form a dough until fairly soft. Scatter plenty of oatmeal on a board and roll out the dough substance. Cut into small shapes and either cook on both sides on a hot greased griddle in the oven, or fry in a little bacon fat, on top of the stove. Serve hot.
These are very good for breakfast, with bacon, eggs and sausages. The above completed shapes should serve approximately 12 persons.
Kissing.
As for this kissing lark, passionate kisses have known health benefits; releasing calming brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that reduce stress levels and soothe the mind. Exposure to germs that inhabit your partner’s mouth helps strengthens your immune system, so just get on with it.
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