Growing up, I never really saw what the big deal was about pickles. Most of my experience with anything pickled was limited to a limp, kosher dill that came with a deli sandwich. It wasn’t until I moved to Toronto and was exposed to the abundance of available Middle Eastern fare that I became enamoured with the sour, briney bite of the flourescent, beet-dyed pickled turnips that kept appearing on my shawarma. Before long I was trying to incorporate pickled anything (preferably something crunchy) into most of my home-cooked meals — an easy task, since almost every type of cuisine has its own version.
The resulting problem: our tiny, narrow “European”-style fridge is probably, on any given day, about 30 per cent full of some pickled item (another 20 per cent is probably taken up by 10 different kinds of mustard, another bad habit we’re trying to break). Admittedly, part of the problem is purchasing our kosher dills at Costco, but I am also prone to picking up all other kinds of pickled delights in smaller packages: spicy garlic scapes, white asparagus, beets, kimchi, etc. I pretty much have to stay away from farmers markets and specialty food shops lest I come home armed with five more adorable small jars.
Part of the problem was my assumption that pickling required a lot of time and special equipment, leading me to be pretty lazy about attempting my own. It only occurred to me recently that many things, from cucumbers to cabbage, can be “quick-pickled” really easily and used up within the week — a discovery that has help rehabilitate my “pickle impulse buy” problem (and subsequently, the European fridge problem).
One of the easiest and most versatile things to quick-pickle are red onions. This recipe from David Lebovitz shows just how simple it can be: dissolve some sugar into vinegar, bring to a boil with a few bay leaves, cloves, allspice or other aromatics you like, stir in a whack of thinly sliced red onions and remove from heat. Once they come to cool, they’ll have taken on a beautiful pink colour and will be pretty much ready to eat.
I make these every few weeks and keep a small jar in my fridge. They go with everything: throw some onto a sandwich or wrap; serve as a compliment to a nice cheese or charcuterie board; sprinkle some over green salads; chop and stir into potato or tuna salads; or use to garnish a hot bowl of homemade pho (also easier to make than you might think ).
The pickling liquid adds a nice, sweet acidity to salad dressings. You can experiment with different flavour profiles — this one is a classic, but you could also try black peppercorns, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel seed, mustard seed, coriander, or any other whole spice you think would work well (just keep it relatively simple!). These will keep in the fridge for many months, and make lovely gifts as well.
Pickled red onions
(from David Lebovitz)
3/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
a small, dried chile pepper
1 large red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced into rings
1. In a small, non-reactive saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, seasonings and chile until boiling.
2. Add the onion slices and lower heat, then simmer gently for 30 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
4. Transfer the onions and the liquid into a jar then refrigerate until ready to use.
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column usually appears every other Tuesday.