Ziay!

Salu

I want to make my Own.

Thanks.

Been There~Done That!

As you may or not know, pickled onions in England are crispy and crunchy and full of flavor, and they delightfully complement cold meats and cheeses. Ah .... my mouth is starting to water as I pen these words.

Sad to relate, American onions seem to leave one somewhat unfulfilled, so here for the very first time is my mother's recipe for Pickled Onions That Bite Back!

First of all you need to acquire your onions, which may be easier said than done. What you are looking for is baby onions ("plucked from their mother's apron strings," as they say) that are approximately 3/4 to one inch in diameter when peeled. (Note that smaller onions work equally well, but they're a swine to peel.) Beware! If you're under 21, male, or a politician, don't attempt to do anything on the culinary front without your mother's permission and supervision, because kitchens contain sharp things, hot things, and a variety of other potentially dangerous things!

As to quantities, who can say? I can tell you the relative quantities ("so much of this to so much of that"), but as to the actual quantities, this all depends on how many jars of the little rascals you intend to lay away. In fact you'll find that this is one of those slippery recipes that you sort of "grow into" (you'll see what I mean as we proceed). All we can say is to remember that "2 teaspoons = 1 dessertspoon" and "2 dessertspoons = 1 tablespoon," and then purchase as much of the following ingredients as you think you'll need (you'll also need an appropriate supply of small-ish mason jars or similar):

Lots of small pickling (pearl) onions
Colman's English Mustard (the yellow powder type)
A handful of habañeros (hot peppers)
Hard brown sugar
Heinz apple cider vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper

First of all, there's an art to cooking, and it starts by doing the washing up you've been putting off all day and putting all of the pots away.

Peel the onions and soak them overnight in salt water (1 tablespoon of salt per pint of water).

The next morning, sterilize your mason jars (I boil them for ten minutes), drain your onions, and fill the jars with the onions to about 1/2 an inch from the top.

Mix as much pickling solution as you think you'll need using the following proportions .... for each pint of apple cider vinegar add 1 dessertspoon of the powdered mustard, 5.5 ounces of brown sugar, one dessertspoon of salt (flat, not heaped), and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Shake the pickling mixture well until everything that's going to dissolve has dissolved, and then pour it over the onions in the jars (leave 1/4 inch gap at the top).

Finely dice one habañero for each jar of onions and add them to the jars (adding the habañero is optional, but all my friends prefer the recipe this way). Screw on the lids, shake each jar well, then put them on the back shelf of your refrigerator and leave for around 4 weeks (I tend to give the little rapscallions a good shake every now and again whenever I think about it). Ooohhh, you are in for a mega-treat let me tell you!

Wash up all of the knives, chopping boards, and everything else you've used and put them all away, then wipe down all of your working surfaces. Trust me - you'll feel better when everything is clean and tidy - have I ever lied to you before? (Don't answer that!)

You won't believe your taste-buds when they sing to you (in four-part harmony) just how tasty these little rascals can be. You can use them to enhance all sorts of cold meats (chicken, beef, ham, pork, lamb, ...) and most cheeses, or you can simply serve them in a bowl and spoon a few onto the side of your salad plate. However you serve them, I think they'll be a huge success with your guests, the only problem being that you'll receive numerous requests to "please lay up a few extra jars as presents the next time you make them."

As one final point, you can also use the above recipe to pickle garlic. This may sound a bit weird to many people, but pickled garlic is a lot milder than you might expect, and it goes amazingly well with meats such as cold roast beef. The only point to consider is that you need to leave it in the jars about twice as long as for the onions before it's ready to rock and roll -- Enjoy!

~Susakins~

Traditional English Pickled Onions

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 pounds pearl onions, peeled
1/2 cup salt
3 cups malt vinegar
1 tablespoon mixed pickling spice
2 dried chile peppers, crumbled (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
2bay leaves

DIRECTIONS
Place the peeled onions in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with cold water. Drain the water into a saucepan and stir in the salt. Bring just to a boil so that the salt dissolves, then cool slightly and pour over the onions. Cover the bowl with a heavy plate so all of the onions stay submerged. Leave onions to stand for 24 hours.
Measure the vinegar into a saucepan. Tie the pickling spice into a cloth and add to the vinegar along with the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Rinse the onions and pat them dry. Add to the saucepan with the vinegar. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Pack the onions into sterile jars and ladle the brine over them until they are covered. Add a dried chile pepper to each jar if you like. Seal with sterile lids and rings and store in a cool dark place for at least 6 weeks before opening.

DINO

2 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
6 whole black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Garnish: 2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme

Saute the onions over low heat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft. Place the vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, sugar, peppercorns and thyme in a large noncorrosive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the onions to the hot liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the onions to steep for at least 2 hours or overnight. (if storing overnight, place in a bowl and cover.) When ready to serve, drain the liquid and top with thyme

caroline ?????

Try this recipe for pickled onions and you'll never buy shop ones again

Ingredients:

4 lb. (2kg) pickling onions
one and a half pounds (675g) salt
2 pints (one and a quarter litres) white vinegar
2 teaspoons (10ml) salt
2 teaspoons (10ml) ground ginger
one and a half teaspoons allspice berries
one and a hlaf teaspoons (cloves
2 inch (5cm) cinnamon stick
6 peppercorns

Cooking Instructions:

Put the unpeeled onions in a large bowl and sprinkle over the salt
Cover with water, cover and set aside for 2 days, stirring occasionally
Drain and peel the onions
Cover with boiling water, set aside for 3 minutes, then drain again
Repeat the process twice more, then pack the onions into hot, sterilized jars
Put all the remaining ingredients into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil
Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain over the onions to within half an inch (1.25cm) of top
Seal and label jars

Tara

PICKLED ONIONS

you will need:

Onions
At least half a kilogram of salt
Two litres of malt vinegar
125 grams of pickling spice
50 grams of root ginger
One small piece of cinnamon stick
One bay leaf
Assorted spiced and flavoured vinegars (optional)

Basic Method

Allow plenty of time! A crisp, crunchy pickled onion needs all liquid added to be cold. Spread the task over two or three days.

First make some brine. Take one litre of water and boil it with half a kilo of salt until the salt has dissolved. Put this aside until the mixture is completely cold.

Peel the onions or shallots. Use a very sharp, stainless steel knife to prevent discoloration and remove the skins underwater to save your tears. If the onions are very strong try popping a cube of bread into your mouth.

Submerge the peeled onions in the cold brine. Don't worry if some of the salt has separated itself, just spoon it over the top. Weigh down the onions to make sure they are all covered - a round washing-up bowl with a frying pan lid and a few large books will do the trick.

Leave for at least 24 hours to allow the brine water to penetrate the onions and remove some of their moisture.

Meanwhile, prepare the vinegar. Take a muslin cloth or clean cotton handkerchief and place the pickling spices, ginger, cinnamon stick and bay leaf inside. Close the cloth with string and tie around a wooden spoon so that you can stop it from sinking too far.

Put the malt vinegar into the pan, add two small, peeled onions, a tablespoon of salt and the spice parcel. Bring the vinegar to the boil and boil for five minutes. A word of advice here - the boiling vinegar does not only smell quite strong it also removes oxygen from the air, so make sure that you open windows or doors and take care.

After five minutes, turn off the heat, take out the spice bag and put the vinegar somewhere to cool (but not in the fridge!). One advantage of preparing this in the autumn is that it can safely stay outside overnight if covered.

Rinse the onions well and pack into the jars. Pour over the cold vinegar so that all the onions are covered but take care not to overfill the jar if using screw tops. Seal and place in a cool place. If possible leave for at least a week before eating.

Variations

If you prefer your pickled onions to be soft then pour the vinegar while still hot. Remember to warm the jars in the oven first, or they may shatter.

Kila

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup salt
* 2 quarts cold water
* 2 1/2 pounds fresh pearl onions, peeled
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 2 teaspoons curry powder
* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon ground allspice
* 2 3/4 cups malt vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together the salt and water in a non-reactive bowl until the salt has dissolved. Add onions, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
2. Stir together the brown sugar, flour, curry powder, turmeric, mustard powder, ginger, and allspice in a saucepan until evenly combined. Slowly stir in the malt vinegar, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Once thick, set aside and allow to cool.
3. Drain the onions, and pack into two sterilized quart canning jars. Pour the warm sauce over the onions to cover. Seal with lids and rings. Leave in a cool, dark place 4 to 6 weeks to allow the flavors to develop.