Pickled onions are great to have on hand, since they make everything more delicious and are also nice to munch on as an accompaniment. Apparently they are the hip new thing, but the recipe has been around basically as long as onions have, which is to say a long time.
1 large red onion or 2 mediums, sliced into rings
2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 to 1/2 c. water (depends on how zingy you want them)
1/4 c. white or red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
optional seasonings:
2 tsp. cracked black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. whole allspice
pinch oregano
bay leaves
sugar
Place the onion slices in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 minute and then drain. Clean a jar or tupperware well and put the onions and garlic into it. In a small saucepan, simmer your vinegar, water, salt and seasonings for 1 minute. Pour the hot mixture over the onions, cover the storage container, and shake the onions around to combine. Allow to marinate for at least 4 hrs. Can be stored for several weeks.
This coleslaw recipe contains no mayonnaise, thank god. It calls for macerating the cabbage ahead of time to remove as much moisture as possible. This has several benefits, such as: eliminating the puddle of liquid at the bottom of the bowl, increasing storage life, and improving the texture and digestibility of the cabbage.
Adding apples is optional and I still haven’t decided if I like it or not. You can use red or green cabbage, and I think this would be amazing with savoy cabbage if you can find it. I added pickled onions from the previous recipe, but you could use plain red onions instead. Rinse them in cold water first, to make them less stinky. Come to think of it, this would also be good with pomegranate seeds in it.
1/2 -3/4 large head cabbage, shredded
2 tart apples, sliced into thin pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. pickled onions, chopped
1 c. pomegranate seeds (optional)
1/2 c. vinegar (I used half rice, half red wine)
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil)
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. pomegranate molasses
1/2 tsp. celery seed
lots of black pepper
Place the cabbage and apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss well and allow to sit for 1-4 hours. Drain in a large colander and rinse well. Spin in a salad spinner or clean dishtowel and then return to bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients and pour over cabbage and apples. Stir in the onions (and pomegranate seeds, if using) and combine throughly. Adjust the salt and sugar as needed. Keeps for several days.