I know everyone’s in full-on cookie mode — I just jotted down notes for NYT Cooking’s Dark ‘n’ Stormy Molasses cookies — but I’m gonna pause the sugar rush for just a sec to talk about onions.
This is another Samin Recipe. If that fact, right there, isn’t enough to make you head straight to the kitchen for a knife and cutting board, allow me to convince you.
I am not a put-onions-in-everything person, but this recipe has turned me into someone who buys several red onions every couple weeks so I can flash process them (they only take ten minutes from grocery bag to jar) into zingy, crunchy, sweet onion goodness.
sauteed peppers, onions, and tomatoes with scrambled eggs
In other words, these onions live in my fridge. As I type this, my fridge boasts 2 quart jars exploding with riotous magenta glory.
baked chicken-and-bean burrito with herby cottage cheese and slaw
I add these onions to packed lunch sandwiches (I pat-dry them with a paper towel first so they don’t soggify the bread), sprinkle them over scrambled eggs, and add them to cole slaws and tuna salads, and use them to garnish soups and rice bowls. Quite frankly, it’s pretty darn amazing how much I’ve come to rely on their convenient pop of color and flavor to elevate my meals.
Oh, and have I mentioned that they are stunningly gorgeous?
sandwich assemby
So here’s my advice: when you find yourself getting headachy from all sugar and butter, go chop some onions and add vinegar. It’ll make you feel better, promise.
Samin’s Pickled Red Onions
Adapted from Samin Nosrat’s new book Good Things. (And if you’re looking for a gift for the food-loving cook in your life, I vote for this one.)
Sometimes I’m short on brine, so I just top off the jar with more vinegar and a sprinkle of salt. Everything that’s listed after the salt is optional (but I include all of it).
3 large red onions
1 ⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 bay leaf
1 dried hot chile
Pinch of dried oregano
Black peppercorns
Peel onions, slice in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice into half moons. Pack them into glass jars. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the liquid over the onions. Let them rest at room temperature until cool and then transfer to the fridge. If you take care to always use a clean utensil to remove them, they will last indefinitely.
This same time, years previous: the quotidian (12.9.24), butterfingers, currently, 2021 garden stats and notes, 2020 garden stats and notes, the quotidian (12.9.19), when the dress-up ballgown finally fits, yeasted streusel cake with lemon glaze, managing my list habit, okonomiyaki!.
