PICKLED WHOLE WHITE ONIONS RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine salt and 4 cups of water in a large glass bowl. Stir until salt dissolves. Peel skin from onions, leaving onions whole. Add to salted water. Cover. Stand at room temperature for 2 days.
• Drain onions. Rinse well under cold water and dry. Pack into 4 x 3-cup capacity sterilised jars, layering with chillies, bay leaves and peppercorns.
• Place vinegar, sugar allspice, extra peppercorns and cloves into a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Set aside to cool completely. Strain liquid. Pour over onions, making sure onions are completely covered. Seal jars. Allow to stand for 6 weeks before using.

Steps:

• Little pickling onions can be fiddly to peel but Nana gives them a soak in hot water first, which makes it so much easier. Place the onions in a large bowl or pan, pour boiling water over them so they are covered and leave them until the water has cooled. When cold, drain the onions then top and tail and peel off the skins with a sharp knife.
• Place the peeled onions in a bowl, scatter on the salt and leave them for 12 hours, stirring once or twice so they are well coated in the salt. Place jar and lid in a pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes to sterilise.
• Wash the onions well under cold water and pat dry. Remove any membrane and peel off a layer of onion here or there as needed, so they are all of a similar size. Pack the onions into the jar, scattering in the pickling spices between the layers as you fill.
• Dissolve the brown sugar in the vinegar and pour into the jar so the onions are covered, but leave a little headspace at the top so the vinegar is not in contact with the lining of the seal. Screw tight and leave in a cool, dark place for 3 months.