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Pickled red onions are even better

After posting the pickled radish recipe, I got a hankering for onions made in a similar fashion. You know what? I like them even better than the radishes. They ended up rather versatile, as we found many uses for quickly pickled onions: soups, sandwiches, falafel, pizza, sautés, eggs, rice bowls, pasta, etc.

Red onion pickle, ready to eat.

As an aside, my friend Lisa M. has said that quick-pickling cauliflower (raw, no additional cooking, either!) works out nicely. I should try that. Maybe I’ll work myself up to cabbage one of these days. But for now, here’s what I did with the red onions.

Red onion pickle, recently jarred.

Quick pickle for red onions

Follow a recipe similar to this one, except:

  • Have 2 one-pint jars clean, dry and ready. I tend to reuse 1 1/2 pound honey jars for this.
  • Vinegar mix I used last time; I zapped the ingredients in the microwave until the solids dissolved and liquids started to simmer:
    • 1 1/2 cups water
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup distilled vinegar
    • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon smoked Maldon salt
  • 2 8-ounce (1/2 pound each) red onions: I cut them into 1/4-inch wide quarter strips, which might be visible in the photo of the jars above.
  • Spice combo of Your Choice. Last time I had used the following, halving the amount between the two jars:
    • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
    • 10 whole allspice
    • 10 whole cloves
    • 3-4 inches of cinnamon stick
    • 2 dried guajillo chiles, stem and seeds removed
    • 1 1/2 inches of ginger root, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices; they’re the yellowish chunks near the bottom of the jars in the photo above.
  • During curing period, periodically push the onions down with a big spoon so they “remain” submerged. Easier said than done, perhaps, but it’ll help cure the onion pieces at the top of the jar.
  • Cure at least overnight for winter onions, which are pretty sharp. Best to wait a couple days, I feel, before tucking in; sweeter onions might not need as long. Not sure about longevity, because the two of us ate two jars’ worth in about three or so weeks. I imagine they could last longer, but really…? 😉
  • Haven’t tried with yellow or white onions, yet. The red ones give such a nice pink-maroon shade!

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