fbpx
Twice as Tasty

Apple-Sweetened Yellow Onions

The recipe I share here, from my book, "The Complete Guide to Pickling," is one of the easiest ways to pickle onions that you can enjoy for weeks

By Julie Laing
Apple-sweetened yellow onions. Photo by Julie Laing

I make most of my pickles in summer and fall, when the garden is at its peak, but some vegetables can be easily pickled all year. Onions top that list. With so many varieties, and so many ways to pickle them, you can roll through jars all winter.

The recipe I share here, from my book, “The Complete Guide to Pickling,” is one of the easiest ways to pickle onions that you can enjoy for weeks. It also teaches some basic techniques that can be used when you move on to pickling other vegetables, canning pickles and creating fermented pickles. The touch of sugar and apple flavor of the vinegar give just a hint of sweetness, and the pickling process mellows the onions’ natural sharp bite.

If you’ve been playing with sourdough and making other recipes I’ve shared in recent weeks, you can build a tasty lunch by layering Roasted Garlic Hummus, some cheese and raw pickled onions onto Stovetop Sourdough English Muffins; stuffing the onions into hummus-smeared Pillowy Sourdough Pita; or using them as garnish on Corn and Potato Chowder. They’re also delicious as a sourdough pizza topping, quickly fried up with apple slices for a side dish or inserted into a grilled cheese sandwich.

For a more colorful jar, swap in red onions. For an even sweeter pickle, choose Walla Walla or other sweet onions before bumping up the sugar. The same brine can even be used to pickle sliced shallots.

Apple-Sweetened Yellow Onions

Makes 1 quart

3 medium (1 pound) yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch rings (3-1/3 cups)

1 teaspoon Morton pickling salt

1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)

1/2 cup water

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (not pods)

In a colander, toss the onion rings with the salt and let sit for 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Gently squeeze excess liquid from the onions with your hands. Stir the onions into the brine, lower the heat to medium and simmer for one minute.

In the bottom of a clean wide-mouth quart jar, place the red pepper flakes and cardamom seeds. Pack the onions into the jar, using tongs to lift them from the hot brine. Ladle the brine over the onions so that they are submerged but the brine is about 1/2 inch from the jar’s rim. Remove any air bubbles with a bamboo or wooden chopstick. Cover loosely with a nonreactive lid and let sit until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.

Tighten the lid and store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating. The pickles will keep for up to one month in the refrigerator.

Excerpt from The Complete Guide to Pickling, by Julie Laing, published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2020 by Callisto Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.