After reading the post about pickled red onions from Frugal Hausfrau recently, I decided it was time for me to get in a pickle! But of course, it would have to be my way. So I filled a jar with sliced red onions, sliced garlic, coriander seeds & cumin seeds, and filled it with a pickling fluid of apple cider vinegar, salt and the tiniest pinch of sugar..
I left them in the fridge for several weeks, and then started to taste and experiment with them. What I liked the most was the pickled spices, so I filled a jar with mostly them too!
A typical pickling juice is vinegar boiled with some salt and sugar then poured over whatever you wish to pickle. Then it’s down to you to enhance it with whatever aromatics take your fancy. Apple cider vinegar is quite a gentle acid, and works well, but white vinegar works just as well. It all depends how sharp you like your pickles.
I’ve also pickled lots of whole garlic cloves – and they turn blue! Which is meant to be a good thing – healthy blue food, who knew??? (See below)
Aside from eating my pickled onions with a meal, I’ve also added them to various concoctions…
This is a ‘salad’ of chopped fresh parsley and coriander with lots of the pickled red onions and garlic and whole spices, using some of the pickling liquid with olive oil to create the texture.
Tasty with everything, including roasted cauliflower with added leaves, tahini and dried barberries, providing a pop of sweet against the acidity of the pickles.
Or atop roasted aubergine slices topped with a Greek yoghurt & ricotta dressing, topped with pul biber chilli flakes and extra roasted coriander seeds.
I also used some of the pickles as a marinade, mixed with olive oil and roasted cherry tomatoes above.
And some more with cooled roasted aubergine slices and added pickled garlic – see the blue garlic slices?
I left this mix to brew for a couple of days before adding some of both creations to some chopped leaves, below, with added roasted seeds..
I’m definitely a pickling convert, and having them in the fridge proves very useful. You can pretty much pickle anything, whether raw or cooked, so…
….what will you pickle today?
Such tasty looking pickles. Homemade pickles are the best. I’ve just put some baby eggplants to pickle in the jars. Hopefully the result will be tasty and aesthetic enough to photograph… 🙂
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Ooh lovely! Do you cook the aubergines first?
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Yes, I cook them briefly, then stuff them with herbs and then place in the jar with the pickling liquids. So delicious! 🙂
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That sounds good – what herbs do you use?
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This time I’ve used chopped celery, cilantro and mint. So far it’s looking good. I hope to taste it in a couple of days. 🙂
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Nice 🙂
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very nice elaine..my summer pickles of garlic and cucumbers and ready. love a good pickle.
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Lovely!
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Wow these look so good Elaine! You always put a nice twist on things
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Thank you 😘😘😘
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Ooh! Having been born in a country which literally lives on pickled foods beginning with sauerkraut, cucumbers and beetroot, I have been away from the scene far too long. The photos of your onions have just told me it’s time to return. Love that very easy recipe but each photo and description after has told me ‘try’ and ‘make’ all else as well : delightful!!!
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Brilliant! I’m glad I could inspire you 😊 thank you for your kind words ☺️
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Love me some blue garlic! The red onions we get are seriously as hot as jalapeños sometimes. I wonder if the apple cider vinegar would cool them down. I must try it and report back when I get home to Baja.
Tracey
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It will be interesting to hear how you get on x
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It all looks so mouthwatering- again! Your creativity always amazes and inspires me, Elaine. 🙂
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Thank you so much, coming from you (an amazing cook!), I take that as a huge compliment x
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And then there is what you do with pickle wallflowers – the ones a couple of years old that got forgotten on the shelf. This morning I found a jar of dill/garlic pickles from 2014. I took them all out, put them in a mini blender, and into a jar with the label ‘homemade relish’. As for the brine, it is now filtered in a jar with the label ‘sweet garlic vinegar’ (just waiting for an oil pairing to make a great salad dressing. )
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Brilliant! Sounds like you found perfect uses for them 🙂
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I love pickled ANYTHING! As you know, Phil cannot have onions, and because I eat them so rarely, I need to be careful, they tend to be hard for me to digest. But last year I made pickled onions and loved them so much, I want to give your recipe a try. A small batch, something for me to enjoy over salads and maybe some tacos.
Your cauliflower looks amazing! and what a great idea to put dried barberries to use! I am staring at a small bag in my pantry, one of those bags that make me feel guilty – impulse buy…..
Elaine to the rescue! 😉
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Ha ha! I throw dried barberries over a lot of my salads, that’s the Elaine way: just chuck it on!!!
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Delicious! They’re obviously quite versatile!
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Yes 👍🏻
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Yes! I’ve been wanting to experiment with pickling for the longest time! Your combinations are particularly tantalizing! Thank you lovely lady! Xo
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Thank you xx I look forward to seeing what you create!
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Reblogged this on Royal Greenwich Curry Club and commented:
Pickles. What’s not to love?
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Thank you so much 😀😀😀
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These are great Elaine and a good alternative to the red onions I’ve been roasting and then pickling 😄
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Thank you x we love your roasted red onions too though!
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Ha ha – onions are good no matter what!
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I adore pickles and can’t get enough of them! I pickle things every now and then but have never thought of pickling spices! The blue garlic looks amazing! I have never seen that and I love to pickle garlic! I love how your food is just bursting with flavor! 🙂
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Thank you 😄😄 the garlic starts turning blue almost immediately, its cool to watch.
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Nothing can beat the temptation of a homemade pickle…this looks so delicious👌👌
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Thank you 😊😊
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Love this!
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😄
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I have been meaning to get over and comment for ages, but back and forth from the folks and computer issues has me quieter than usual!! Thanks so much for the shout out! Those pickled onions are so much fun and I’ve loved seeing what you’ve done with them and all the creative ideas! You are a culinary genius!! 🙂
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Thank you so much, you are very very kind 😊😊😊😊 your pickled onions have introduced me into a world of pickling which I’m throughly enjoying!
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🙂
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