Pickled Onions

Pickled onions are a British treasure - ideal with pork pies, ploughmans, and picnics. Chips sprinkled with pickled onion vinegar was tops when i was a kid!

Ingredients:

1 lb baby onions - skins and all
6 oz table salt
2 pints cold water
1 pint white wine vinegar
½ pint cider vinegar
2 tspn castor sugar
1 tspn corriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
1 star anise
1 piece of mace
½ tspn chilli flakes
2 slices of fresh ginger
1 bayleaf

Method:

1. Mix the salt and water in a non-metallic container, add the onions and chill for 2 days. Drain, rinse and peel.

2. Tie the spices in a piece of muslin. Bring the vinegars to the boil in a stainless steel pan, add the sugar and spice "bag" and simmer for 1 minute. Cool.

Step three is as simple as packing the onions into sterilized jars and adding enough vinegar to completely cover them. Seal with a tight fitting, non-metallic lid and store in a cool place for 1 month before use.

If you don't have all of the above mentioned spices in your larder (or don't want to buy them) simply use two sachets of "pickling spice."