Allyson Gofton - Get Pickled On Onions

Crunchy, sweet, sharp and spicy, pickled onions, once the mainstay of the summer picnic table, can have a new twist when you make them with baby red onions and scent them with the sweet spices of mace, cloves and allspice.

Pickled foods, such as pickled onions, gherkins or garlic are preserved when surrounded in a bath of acid , in this case vinegar, which discourages microbial (nasties)growth. The pickling liquid can be straight out vinegar - malt, cider, apple or fruit vinegar, or it can be spiced ad flavoured using whole spices. Ground spices will make the vinegar cloudy and give a dusty paste-like feel in the mouth when being eaten.

To preserve foods in vinegar, the first step is to remove as much water from the fruit or vegetables as possible. Excess water dilutes the acid content of the vinegar and can cause the pickled vegetables to not be as crispy when preserved. Salting is done by preparing the fruit or vegetables and then soaking in a salt brine for 24 or more hours before being well rinsed and dried.

The prepared fruit or vegetables are then packed into jars, leaving sufficient room at the top of the jar for the vinegar to be able to completely cover the foods by 1.5-2cm. For crisp vegetable pickles, cold vinegar is poured over, of for softer pickled vegetable hot brine is used. Cover and label.

Pickled foods need to stand for a good month to allow preservation to take place and for the flavours to marry. Use a clean spoon or fork to remove the pickled foods as fingers can easily transfer bugs to the brine and cause spoilage.

Recipe:
Classic Pickled Onions
Crunchy, sweet, sharp and spicy, pickled onions, once the mainstay of the summer picnic table, can have a new twist when you make them with baby red onions and scent them with the sweet spices of mace, cloves and allspice.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 24-36 hours
Makes: 1.5 kilograms

Ingredients:
1.5 kilograms pickling onions, red white or brown
1/2 cup salt (do not use iodised or free-flowing table salt)
About 3 cups vinegar
2 tablespoons whole cloves
3-4 pieces blade mace
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1-2 dried chillies, optional

Method:

1. Using a small sharp knife, trim the core end carefully and peel the onions. The core end needs to remain intact to ensure a neat and tidy pickled onion
2. Place the onions in a non-metallic bowl and scatter over the salt pour over enough cold water to cover to onions and set aside in a cool place for 24-36 hours.
3. Heat the vinegar, mace, allspice, mustard seeds and dried chillies if using and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
4. Drain the onions, rinse well in cold water and then set aide to drain on a rack or in a sieve. Pat dry with paper towel.
5. Pierce a whole clove into each onion and pack the onions into sterilized dry jars. Pour the vinegar over the onions, making sure that the vinegar covers the onions by at least 1.5cm,and the spices are evenly distributed among the jars.
6. Should you need to, scrunch up some greased paper and place on top of the onions to help keep them submerged in the vinegar. Seal and set aside in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks before opening.

Cook's tips:

• Pickled foods need to stand for a good month to allow preservation to take place and for the flavours to marry. Use a clean spoon or fork to remove the pickled foods as fingers can easily transfer bugs to the brine and cause spoilage.