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Growing up, my father worked in Manhattan and Brooklyn and brought home special treats. Every so often, my father would trek down to the lower east side of Manhattan to The Pickle Guy. The Pickle Guy kept his products in giant barrels, and my father would choose, with glee, what came home for dinner that night. My family serves pickled or fermented vegetables with meat; pickled tomatoes, sauerkraut and half sour pickles. The tang, that twist-your-tongue burst of sour and crunch is a natural pairing with fatty burgers and roasted meats.
I now live far from Manhattan, The Pickle Guy and his giant barrels, but my love for pickles and sour, crunchy vegetables has not wavered. So I am now…the pickle guy…woman…person….and pickle our surplus garden harvest. Pickling is the best way to bottle summer. There is absolutely nothing like fresh, crunchy pickles packed with dill in the dead of winter.
However, we aren’t making pickles, we are making quick pickled red onions. Pickled onions are the condiment you’ve been missing. They’re the perfect balance of tangy, crunchy and sweet. Pile them high on your next burger, cold chicken sandwich, or taco. My children tend to eat them straight out of the jar!
I love throwing together a quick pickle because I am not a planner. My desire for something pickled usually comes fast and loose when I’m 20 minutes away from serving dinner. Quick pickling is for the last minute wingers, like me, and I absolutely adore them. The secret to all my quick pickling recipes is fresh herbs from my garden. My herb garden, out of all the areas of my homestead, is my favorite. An herb garden is, perhaps, a cook’s most valuable secret because it’s where the flavors of your recipes lay. Part of our herb garden is dedicated to traditional patches of tarragon, mint, thyme, basil, chives, rosemary, and sage. (More on herbs later this week!)
For my quick pickled red onions, I add crushed garlic (from our garden) for a touch of heat and fresh thyme. Thyme plants are bushy, dense and always plentiful. I enjoy picking thyme, especially in the spring, because it’s covered in delicate pink and white flowers; adding an unexpected surprise when you pop open the pickling jar and see such delicate blossoms entwined with pungent onions. For this recipe, I pack the onions snugly in a 16 oz. wide mouth ball jar, but you can certainly use a 32 oz. The final touch for this quick pickle is honey, bringing a touch of sweetness and deep complexity to round out the pucker from the red wine vinegar.
This is the quick pickle liquid I reach for all summer long. Use this pickling liquid as your foundation. I encourage you to express your personality and get creative! Experiment with vegetables, like radishes, and different herbs, like tarragon, to bring your own unique style to your quick pickle and bottle your own taste of summer.
Find this recipe and a version of this article in Whisk By Ami Magazine!
Quick Pickled Red Onions with Thyme, Garlic & Honey
Ingredients
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large garlic cloves smashed and skin removed
- 5 – 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 large red onion
Instructions
- Smash the garlic cloves with the flat of your knife and drag it on the cutting board. Set aside.
- In a large jar with a tight fitting lid (4 cup capacity), add the red wine vinegar, honey, kosher salt, smashed garlic, and fresh thyme. Close the jar and shake until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Peel the onion and slice it as thinly as possible in rounds. It’s ok if you need to turn the end of the onion on its side to cut more thin slices. Perfection is not needed.
- Put the sliced onion in the jar, seal the lid very tightly and shake the jar vigorously for 10 seconds.
- Leave the jar on the counter and shake every 10-15 minutes, until the onions have reduced and have sunk completely into the liquid.
- At this point, you can serve the onions or store in the fridge for about 1 week.
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