Pickled Red Onion

A while back I bought a cookbook by Josef Centeno and Betty Hallock called “Baco, Vivid recipes from the heart of Los Angeles”.  There are so many fantastic recipes in this beautifully photographed book of culinary treasures.  The very first recipe is their Mint and Rose Pickled Red Onions.  

I usually don’t and can’t follow recipes verbatim, but this time I gave it a good try.  I soon realized I didn’t have all the ingredients in my pantry.  No matter, I switched out a few things and created this version.  I also took the liberty of adding a slice of red beet, which turns the onions and their pickling liquid into this vibrant and saturated magenta hue without altering the flavor.  Once you make a jar of these beauties, you’ll be sure to have a jar in the fridge at all times just like me.

Here I have topped a summer salad with the onions. An added bonus is the beautiful watercolor-like effect of the pickling juice mixed with the vinaigrette.

Here I’ve added them to cheese-topped oat crackers, which really brightens up this snack.

The Recipe

Yield: about 1 quart

Ingredients:

2 small-medium red onions

4 chili de arbol

2 Tbsp dried mint

1 Tbsp dried rosebud leaves

About 8 grinds of black pepper

¼ cup hot water

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp diamond kosher salt

1 cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup evoo

1/2” slice small red beet cut in half

Directions:

1.     Cut onions in half and then into 1/8” slices lengthwise.  Don’t cut them into half-moons because they will break down faster.  Gently mix them in a bowl with the chilies, dill/mint/basil, rosebud leaves, and black pepper.

2.     In a heatproof container, get ¼ cup hot water from the coffee station and add the sugar and salt.  Stir until dissolved, then add the vinegar and evoo.

3.     In a quart-size mason jar place on of the beet slices, half the onion mixture, the other half of beet, and then the rest of the onions.  Pour the warm vinegar solution over the onions.  If all the onion mixture doesn’t fit, push them down in the jar and add as much as you can.  Make sure they are fully submerged by the vinegar solution.  If you run out of vinegar solution, top off the jar with more red wine vinegar.

4.     Close the lid tightly and turn upside down a few times to ensure all air pockets get filled with liquid.  Allow to sit for a few hours.  Label and date and refrigerate for up 2 weeks… if they last that long.  They get better and hotter as they sit.  

5.     Don’t serve the chilies or beet slices.