pickled onions « (y)our food choices™

New Year: 2013

We’re back! After a long break, big vacations and more food than we could ever catch up on, we’re ready to hit the kitchen, the keyboard and the camera in what promises to be our most productive blogging year yet.

In spite of the hiatus, 2012 inspired a number of posts we look back at with pride. The year started with a double wedding (two days, two states, same couple) and a beautiful almond wedding cake. We discovered raw kale salads and we scratched the surface of the food scenes in Washington D.C., Seattle, London and Scotland. Fava beans and preserved lemons brightened our spring and we learned to make cheese. Our tribute to St. Patrick included plenty of Irish Coffee and a tasty loaf of Irish Soda Bread. Eyebrows rose when we recommended salting our drip coffee, but nobody batted an eyelash when we substituted arugula for basil in our take on pesto. Recipes offered a mix of the simple (pickled red onions) and the complex (apricot buttermilk pie), all with a focus on in-season, locally grown organic products.

As we begin a new year, we look forward to sharing more of what we prepare in our one-ass kitchen. We thank those of you who continued to visit in spite of our disappearing act. To those who found us this year, we offer a belated “Welcome!”

Our goal in the New Year is to inspire you to cook. Our hope is that you’ll follow our lead in sourcing the very best ingredients you can find. Please let us know what you think of the things we’re cooking. Your comments are always welcome.

Cheers!

Our pantry is well stocked, most of the time, and that means we have a variety of aromatic veggies – onions (yellow and red), shallots, leeks (in season), garlic, fresh ginger – at our reach in the kitchen. Onions are so foundational in savory cooking that most dishes start off with the simple step of sautéing-minced onions. However, we really love pickled red onions at the moment, so no cooking is required in this recipe.

Red onions are best raw. They’re fine cooked, they’re onions, and if we need them for a dish and we’re out of the yellow ones, reds work. But the beauty of red onions is in the bright color and the mild, crisp flesh. We prefer them sliced thin when eating them raw (easier to control how much you’re getting in each bite). But if we’re grilling them, they’re easiest to handle when cut into thick slices or quarter wedges.

We eat onions because they’re delicious. As it turns out, they’re also good for us. Full of heart-healthy sulfides, onions may aid in lowering blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Chemicals in onions also promote healthy gut bacteria and may reduce the risk of colon cancer. Onions are anti-inflammatory and a great source of vitamin C. A cup of chopped onions contains about 64 calories, so eat up.

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Pickled Red Onions

Use the red onions to top tacos, burgers, sandwiches, salads, or to garnish hors d’oeuvres.

1 large red onion
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Using a mandolin, or a knife, slice the onion very thin, then add to a non-reactive bowl and cover with vinegar. Marinate for at least an hour at room temperature before using. Pickled onions will last a good while in the refrigerator in an airtight container.