Purplette Onion “Quickles”

This is an easy and quick way to make a condiment that has big impact. It was served at the High Ground Organics Harvest Festival as a topper for hot dogs and disappeared in a flash. I use the same recipe with shallots for smoked salmon and cream cheese crackers for breakfast. These can be made in minutes and will keep 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. These are not a true pickle and will not store for long times nor should they be left unrefrigerated too long.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Slice the root end and the tip end off, and then slice the onions into rings around 1/16th of an inch. (You can use a sharp thin bladed knife, but I prefer a Ben-Riner* mandoline/fixed blade slicer.)

In a non-reactive bowl, carefully break up the onion slices into rings and then sprinkle enough of the salt to lightly coat all the pieces. Allow the onion rings to rest until starting to soften a little, around 5-10 minutes.

While the onions are bathing in the salt, mix the sugar and vinegar together. You can do this in a jar or a non-reactive bowl with a whisk. Mix until the sugar is no longer visible. Taste the solution for balance-it should be neither very sweet nor too tart. Adjust with vinegar or sugar as needed.

After 5 minutes, feel the onions, they should no longer feel brittle and will have softened a little. If not, leave a few more minutes. When ready, have a fine meshed strainer ready and rinse the onion rings in the bowl with cool water, pouring out the water until the onions no longer feel salty. Taste one to be sure you have rinsed away the excess salt. A little salty taste to the onion is fine, but you do not want to taste salt on the outside of the ring or a lot of salt. Shake the onion rings to shed as much water as you can, then roll them in paper towels to blot more water.

When the onion is fairly dry, add to the “pickling” mix. You want to have the onions below the surface of the liquid. The onions will soften a bit and will seem to shrink a little. This is fine.

The onions should be ready to use within 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

YIELD: Around 1 1/2 cups

These quickles wind up in many dishes, from salmon cream cheese crackers to sandwiches to topping fish and steak. Mince and add to tuna salad or scatter on top of salads. You can re-use the liquid one time, or take some out and add sliced cucumbers to the liquid and quickle some sliced cukes to go with the onions for an easy side salad with big flavor and crunch.

*The Ben-Riner is a fairly inexpensive Japanese mandoline that comes in two widths. They are also equipped with three “combs” that can be fitted for producing shreds that are more defined than a grater will produce. The combs give shreds that are similar to fettucine, spaghetti, and capellini, and you can adjust the thickness of the shreds as well. This gadget is well worth the investment as it can really save time and allows for some fun experimentation. Look for them in Japanese grocery and hardware stores, and kitchen supply shops.

SOURCE: Chef Andrew Cohen