It’s fall, well not officially, but close enough. Close enough to have me reaching for extra Vitamin C and putting on cozy socks. It’s also the time I am drawn into the kitchen to make warming soups and to enjoy the fresh fall produce, including one of my favourites, one that is overlooked because it is a ubiquitous staple in every kitchen.
The humble onion, in this case, it’s the red onion.
It’s great to pick through the firm unblemished onions at the farmers’ market and pick the perfect ones.
Red onions are great, they are beautiful and their flavour is sharp, sometimes too sharp, but I’ve discovered that a little acid, such as lemon or lime juice, or vinegar takes the sharpness down to a beautiful full flavour that wakes up the taste buds and gets the juices flowing, not to mention the beautiful colour.
I became a big fan of soaking my red onions in lime juice and using this combo as a base for my salads, then I discovered how beautiful and wonderful they are in the quick pickled onions that I always have in my refrigerator. (If you snuck the odd sip of vinegar as a kid you’ll know what I mean.)
Here’s the recipe, let me know how you like it and if you’ve adjusted or added anything I’d love to hear about it.
Here are a few interesting facts about the health benefits of the humble onion, it contains antioxidants and compounds which are anti-inflammatory in nature, and it may help lower blood pressure, balance triglycerides and reduce the chance of clotting. So it is a heart-healthy food. 😉
Quick Pickled Onions
Equipment
- sieve or strainer, clean jar with a lid, teakettle
Ingredients
- 1 large onion any kind will do but red is a treat
- 3/4 cup vinegar rice or another white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1-3 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- In your teakettle boil approx. 3 cups water (to be poured over the sliced onions).
- Peel and finely slice the onion into rings, a mandolin would work too.
- Add the vinegar, water and honey to a jar, stir.
- Put the sliced onions in a sieve or strainer, pour 3 cups boiling water over the onions then shake to remove water and put into the jar. You may need to press them into the jar with a spoon to have the onions fully submerged in the liquid.
- Close the lid and pop the jar into the fridge. If you used red onions look at the beautiful puce colour!
- These will be ready to eat in 20 minutes, but the longer they sit, the richer the flavour.
- Store in the fridge and eat within 2 weeks.
