Red Onion Pickles
(from AmericnJewl’s recipe box)
Makes about 2 pints. "You’ll want to prepare these in a stainless steel pot and use stainless steel tongs or a wooden spoon. Aluminum cookware can leave the onions with an off color and deny you the gorgeous hot pink hue that you want. "
Source: Zuni Cookbook (Adapted by http://mattbites.typepad.com)
Categories: appetizer, not tried, side dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb red onions
- 3 cups white vinegar, distilled
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 pinch allspice berries
- 1 small dried chili (broken in half for a spicier taste)
- 1 star anise pod
- 2 bay leaves
- 20 whole black peppercorns
Directions
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Combine the vinegar, sugar, and all the spices in the stainless steel pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand to allow the spices to infuse the brine.
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Peel the onions, trim the ends and slice 3/8 inch thick. Separate the slices into rings, discarding any skin and tough bits.
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Uncover the brine and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately add about 1/3 of the onion rings and stir them under. They will turn hot pink almost instantly. As soon as the bring begins to simmer around the edges, about 20 seconds, stir them under again and slide the pot off the heat. Immediately remove the onions with a slotted spoon, skimmer, or tongs and spread on a platter or cookie sheet to cool completely. The onions will still be firm. Repeat with the remaining onions, in two batches.
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Once the onions have cooled (you can stick them in the fridge to cool them quickly), repeat the entire process, again in three batches, two more times, always adding the onions to boiling brine, pulling them promptly as the brine begins to simmer again, and cooling them completely after each bath. After the third round of blanching, thoroughly chill the brine, then add the pickled onions. This slightly tedious process saturates the onions with the fragrant brine without really cooking them, a process that leaves them crunchy. Zuni notes that without this process you’re left with dull, regularly colored onion rings.
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Place in jars, cover and store refrigerated. The cookbook says they will keep indefinitely, but I’ve never gone longer than 2 weeks before they’re completely gone. Enjoy!