Pickled Onions

This is Steve’s creation! First time he tried it, he put all his art and the knowledge that can be found in the Internet. The pot with the small white onions, the shallots, became his object of worship for three days, since he placed all of his hopes for authentic pickled onions that finally he could enjoy as in his home country, England. But on the third day of waiting, he showed me in distress, that the onions had started simmering as they were misplaced from the beginning on the stove to rest instead of another place! And he, alas, by small mistake turned on the wrong knob on the stove to boil something else. So a different procedure of consuming had started for the onions, than the one he had imagined.     . Of course, this portion of onions was saved anyway. They were used in an amazing Sunday lunch meal, beef stew with shallots, like it is made in my mother’s home town of Siatista, a fantastic recipe! Ever since, he learned how to make pickled onions. And to my great joy, every time I walk into the kitchen my eye embraces the army of jars in every size you can imagine, perfectly resting on the top of kitchen shelf, filled with small onions in vinegar, waiting to be opened or to be offered to someone who has the same taste memories as Steve! And a jar, always in the fridge, winks an eye to me every time I open the fridge door!

Procedure

1. Peel them and wash them in cold water, cut the edges to be round (peel and trim, as Steve says), leave them to soak in salty water (1/2 a cup of salt for every day in the pot). This procedure holds for 3 days. Change the water every day.
2. Then sterilize the jars and their lids: after a good wash with hot water and washing liquid soap, place them on a dry clean cloth, on the side and in the oven for ½ an hour in 100⁰C. Let them cool.
3. Spoon the onions into the jar and fill it up with apple vinegar or spice vinegar, adding 1 tablespoon of pickling spice for every jar and then secure the lid.
4. I leave it standing for 2 months and then it is time for consumption. After opening the jar, refrigerate and they will preserve for long time. This technique makes them crunchy as they should be!

Ideas: Play with the raciness and flavor by adding chili pepper in the vinegar. The onions can be accompanied with slices of bread, buttered with marmite or vegemite and slices of cheddar cheese for a quick snack. Ideally, they accompany the Boxing day’s breakfast plate.