Pink Pickled Onions

Pickled onions you say?  That's weird.  You know what?  Yeah, maybe it *is* weird, but it's also fabulously delicious.  Perfect accompaniment to pulled pork, a burger, bratwurst....anywhere you want a little kick of sweet and sour.  Start by making your own pickling spice--it's easy and inexpensive.

dawn's pickling spice

Dawn's Pickling Spice:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

2 tablespoons whole allspice (I didn't have whole, so I used 1/4 tsp ground)

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf, crumbled

1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight jar.

Now that we've got our spice ready, we can get to the onions.

pickled onions jar

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1kilo) red onions, very thinly sliced

fresh rosemary

2 cups white wine vinegar (I've also used red wine vinegar with tarragon with great success)

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons pickling spice

2 teaspoons sea salt

Preparation:

Place about a third of the onions in large jar with a lid.

Layer a couple of sprigs of rosemary (or sprinkle some dried), and repeat the process until all onions are in the jar.

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, spices and salt to a boil, stirring just until sugar dissolves.

Pour mixture over onions and allow to cool.

Cover and refrigerate. 

*The onions are better the next day, and can be stored up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

pickled onions