Pickled Red Onions

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Do I mention pickled onions quite a bit, or what? Since they are just one of my totally favorite things to make, I'm including the recipe to go with the gravlax post above. I first made these at a restaurant I worked in as a student and (can't name because just thinking of that chef makes me want to cry.) was constantly dipping my fingers into the jar for a taste because I found them to be so irresistable.

They go supremely well with any sort of charcuterie, pate, raclette, smoked salmon, on sandwiches - especially grilled cheese, and as an excellent bagel topping.

Minus slicing the onion (which, if you do by hand and not with a mandoline, can be time consuming) the whole thing takes about eight minutes to make and keeps for about a month in the fridge. The herbs and spices can and should be adjusted to your taste and what you have on hand.

They really impress people too, and you will never have to say how easy there were to make, unless you want to.

Oh, and please beware, simmering vinegar will fill your kitchen with fumes. It's not that big a deal, but it is strong.


1 large red onion. sliced as thin as you can get it
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 garlic clove
bay leaf
a teaspoon of mixed spices (I normally opt for thyme, black pepper and coriander)



In a sauce pan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and spices. Bring to a gentle simmer to dissolve. Taste to adjust seasoning. Add the onion and let simmer for two to three minutes, stirring once. Remove from the heat, allow to cool and store in the liquid.

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Approximately 88 percent of the onion crop is devoted to yellow onion production, with about 7 percent red onions and 5 percent white onions.

Many cultures have historically fermented foods by burying them underground, producing a rotted, yet edible delicacy. The Chinese buried eggs; Islandic communities interred shark meat in the sand; Scandinavians fermented fish in the ground, along with cheese and a traditional liquor; the Scottish buried kegs of butter in peat bogs, slowly fermenting it for seven years before eating it; the Inuit people still bury whale and seagull meat. -Exploratorium.edu

Check out the beautiful IMBB round up at Kitchen Chick. Thanks chicky!