Zuni Café’s Red Onion Pickles

Name: Zuni Café’s Red Onion Pickles
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 pints
Ingredients: 3 cups distilled white vinegar; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken; A few cloves; A few allspice berries; 1 dried red chile; 1 star anise pod (optional); 2 bay leaves; A few black peppercorns; 1 pound firm red onions (about 2 medium)

Recipe from Judy Rodgers

Adapted by David Tanis

Zuni Café’s Red Onion Pickles — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1 hour, plus chilling
Rating: 5(646)
Comments: Read comments

At San Francisco’s Zuni Café, these crisp, bright pink onion rings are served with the hamburger, but they are also delicious paired with charcuterie, pâtés, cheese platters and smoked fish. Easy to make and wonderful to have on hand, the pickles keep indefinitely in the refrigerator. —David Tanis

Featured in: Zuni Café at 40: Still a Home for the Eclectic

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Ingredients

Yield:2 pints

3cups distilled white vinegar
1½cups granulated sugar
1(3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken
A few cloves
A few allspice berries
1dried red chile
1star anise pod (optional)
2bay leaves
A few black peppercorns
1pound firm red onions (about 2 medium)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the brine: Combine vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice berries, chile, star anise, bay leaves and peppercorns in a 4-quart (or larger) nonreactive pot at least 10 inches in diameter. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Cover pot, turn off heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Peel the onions, trim ends and slice crosswise into ⅜-inch thick slices. Separate into rings, discarding any green centers or leathery outer rings.
Step 3
Bring the brine back to a boil. Add onions and turn off heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to submerge onions. Leave to steep, covered, until mixture cools.
Step 4
Transfer onions and brine to pint jars and refrigerate for at least a day before serving.

Ratings

5 out of 5

646 user ratings

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Comments

Joan Bernstein6 years ago

Make these with white onions and a can of sliced beets. Add sliced cucumbers, if you like, after the onion and beet mixture cools. Follow step 4 after you add cukes; I don't jar it, but keep it in a large covered bowl in the fridge for daily use one way or another.

Clancy6 years ago

The non-reactive pan and wooden spoon notes in the recipe are important. If you use an aluminum pan or spoon the onions turn an unattractive blueish color instead of bright pink. Also only use firm flat or round red onions. Torpedo red onions result in mushy pickles.

Dk6 years ago

Does choice of vinegar matter ( cider vs distilled white or other?)

Julie3 months ago

I love this recipe and I’ve made it many times. If I don’t have cinnamon sticks, I’ve successfully used a little bit of ground cinnamon. I preferred to follow the recipe though, because its excellent. The only reason for my post is to share how I like to store the pickled onions. I save the jars from Cornishon‘s that have the little plastic pull-ups inside. My husband says I have a jar of fetish. There are worse things to have. Anyway, I put the pickled onions in the clean cornishon jars and then I can pull them up to use.

Keith4 months ago

Love this recipe. However I’d like some clarification on the red chili. What type? Thai Red? Mexican Red Guajillo? Red Serrano? Red Jalepeño?

Sarah Lieb6 months ago

I had a lot of leftover brine, so I used it to make an onion brine martini. DELICIOUS!!!

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