Courtesy of Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh
In the UK, we always had jars of malt vinegar pickled onions to go with bread, cheese and meats, which is often known as a Ploughman’s lunch. In New Hampshire, before I could buy jars of imported pickled onions in malt vinegar, I would peel all those little white onions, salt them, then pickle them well in advance as a Christmas present for my husband, along with a selection of cheeses. Since I now eat gluten-free, and malt vinegar is made from barley, I use red wine vinegar of apple cider vinegar.
This is a recipe a friend gave me. She makes it with red onions, as she likes the pink color. I make it with Vidalia or other sweet onions. I find that Vidalia onions are as crisp as red onions in the vinegar, but more tender and less chewy then red onions. Make these onions overnight so that they are ready for next day, and use a 2-3 cup (16-24 oz.) Ball jar with plastic lid. If you use old jam jar, sterilize it and put plastic wrap between glass jar and metal lid. They will last a few months in the fridge.
Remember that your taste for sugar, salt and vinegar may be different to mine, so you can play with the measurements according to your taste. Pickled onion on its own will taste very different than when put on bread and cheese. Different vinegars will give a different tastes. The salt helps to bring water out of the onions, so they will shrink down in the jar. Sugar tempers the sourness of the vinegar and is also a preservative. You could use some of the vinegar mixture in a homemade vinaigrette after the onions eaten. Do not use the vinegar mixture in the jar to make another batch, because too much water will have come out of the onions and will weaken the strength needed for pickling. You could add dried hot chili pepper or some pickling spice and mustard seeds to the jar.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Makes 1 12 oz. jam jar
I had this as an appetizer for a party when I spoke at the 40th Annual Gluten Intolerance Group Conference in 2014. I spoke with the chef at one meal, and he wrote out this recipe, which is very similar to a sundried tomato jam that I make.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Serving Suggestion: You can serve with small pieces of smoked chicken on top of a slice of peeled European cucumber and topped with tiny squiggle of avocado cream.
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