Pickled Button Onion Recipe - Cipolline Sotto Aceto

Pickled Button Onions are a mainstay of the mixed antipasto, and though you might not expect it, can vary considerably depending upon the type of button onion you choose to pickle. With sweeter onions they'll be more delicate, whereas more acrid onions will have a considerable bite that will be quite nice with boiled meats and vegetables. Assuming you start out with 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) of peeled button onions, you'll need:

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts (3 liters) white wine vinegar
• A handful of coarse sea salt (use kosher salt if need be)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• A head of garlic, broken up and the cloves peeled
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• Some fine ground, untreated salt
• Olive oil

Preparation:

Set a pot of water to boil with the handful of coarse salt, and cook the onions for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, bring 2 quarts of the vinegar to a boil with the bay leaves, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Drain the onions well and transfer them to the boiling vinegar for about 2 minutes. Drain them again, letting them drip dry, and put them into the jars, adding a few cloves of garlic to each. Pour the final quart of vinegar over the onions, let it cool some, pour a quarter inch layer of olive oil over the vinegar, seal the jars up, and store them in a cool dark place for 2 months before using them.

Yield: several jars of pickled button onions.

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