red onions | Bewitching Kitchen

Those who follow my blog might notice that onions rarely appear in our recipes. But here I am to give them full attention in a simple but delicious preparation I saw over at Kelly’s Inspired Edibles. For unknown reasons, in the past few years I’ve developed a huge passion for pickled stuff. I’ve always enjoyed olives and capers, but now every time I see a recipe calling for pickled anything, I start anticipating that sharp bite on the back of the tongue that only the right amount of acid will cause. Perhaps I developed a “pickled tooth?” I do take liberties with the English language, but maybe that’s a bit much. At any rate, I loved the fuchsia color of the onions and the pickling liquid, and with each passing day it only got better. I enjoyed the full batch, from first to last slice, since Phil and onions do not get along well. This recipe is ready in minutes, I hope you’ll give it a try.

PICKLED RED ONIONS
(from Inspired Edibles)

1 medium red onion, peeled quartered and sliced thin
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
8 or so peppercorns
a few sprigs of fresh thyme

Bring a kettle of water to boil. Place sliced onions in a colander or mesh sieve and hold over sink. Carefully pour boiling water over the onions to soften them, allowing the water to drain through. Set aside.

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar and salt in a clean pint size mason jar until sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Layer in the warm soft onions, thyme sprigs and peppercorns, making sure everything is submerged in the vinegar mixture. The jar will be quite full, you might have leftover onions, just save them for another purpose.

Place lid and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. Leftover pickled onions will store for 10 days or so in the fridge.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These onions go well on many types of food. My favorite was spooned over ground chicken with Tex-Mex spices served with a corn tortilla, but I had it on salad greens, with grilled salmon, and… just to make sure Kelly was onto something, I munched on pieces standing in front of the fridge, fork in hand, smile on face. Yeap, she is right. It will curl your toes in every direction.. and that’s a good thing! The pickling liquid is fantastic as the base of a vinaigrette, and I even enjoyed a little drizzle over avocado slices. Once again, this recipe proves that simplicity can be very good. I know there is a time and place for dressings that mix 17 spices, half of them roasted, juice of preserved lemons emulsified with first pressed pistachio oil, but… when you have something that awes your palate with only a few ingredients… it’s a gold mine. Make this, marvel at the color, the taste, and stop by Kelly’s site to say merci beaucoups!