Pickled Onions

These are definitely a love or hate food.  They also sell well at charity sales etc, quite often I find demand outstrips my supply of onions.

You can vary this recipe by making a sweet vinegar instead of using malt vinegar.  The steps below can be abbreviated by allowing less time for cooling but the onions may be less crunchy.  Make sure the vinegar you use is real vinegar (not the artificial stuff sold as “non-brewed condiment”). 

Ingredients:

• As many pickling onions as you can gather

• 1 kg of cooking salt

• 2 litres of malt vinegar (I use the cheapest real malt vinegar I can get, just check it is 5% or more acetic acid content) - exact quantity of vinegar required will depend on how many onions you have

• Spices, in a spice bag, to include large chunk of ginger, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, allspice (all crushed a bit with a pestle and mortar).

• 1 normal sized onion

• Some large jars with (preferably) brand new lids (you can buy lids cheaply online)

Instructions:

1.   Prepare a salt soak, by dissolving 1kg of salt into 2 litres of water.  I use a stainless steel pasta pan for this stage.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Not all the salt will dissolve, this is not a problem.

2.   Wash and roughly prepare the onions (i.e. chop roots and leaves off).  Do not peel at this stage.

3.   Once the salt solution is cool, add the onions and soak for 24 hours.

4.   Meanwhile, prepare the vinegar, add the spices and onion and bring to boil for 5 minutes.  Be careful, boiling vinegar takes oxygen out of the air so make sure windows and doors are open (this will also help get rid of the smell!).  Set aside with a lid, the vinegar needs to be cool when used finally.

5.   After 24 hours rinse the onions several times and discard the salt.

6.   Peel the onions (I find peeling after soaking is much easier than peeling ahead of soaking).  This can take a while so take outside and peel away in the garden if you can.

7.   Once peeled and clean, place into jars, cover with the cooled vinegar and seal.

8.   Store for several months before eating.  They should keep for 2 years.