You know what's great about being unemployed post-college? 
Let me start over. You know what's great for me about one of my sisters being unemployed? (she's like, omg please stop)
The food and the babysitting, tbh. And the hanging out!
My youngest sister Julianne (Aunt J to those of us not really doing three syllables yet) graduated from college a few weeks ago and is heavily in the throes of interviewing and applying to jobs. She's had some offers, is contemplating her life, and I'm thinking in about five seconds she's going to move somewhere epic and leave us in the sticks forever.
So in the meantime, I'm soaking up all the time with her I can get. She's also in the process of moving out of her apartment, which means when she finds massive onions and has nothing to cook with them she pickles them and brings them to me! Which is what happened here. I'm a huge fan of pickled onions and love that they've been coming more and more in restaurants, on sandwiches and tacos especially. Julianne's pickles this time were particularly good, so I asked her how she made them. I have them featured as condiments in a few upcoming recipes for the blog, and I knew you'd be dying to know how the onions came to be in my fridge. (you're like, omg please stop)
The pickling process is super simple, some warm flavored liquids over sliced onions, whole garlic cloves, and whole peppercorns. Julianne get the onions sliced and in a jar with the garlic and pepper, heats the water in the microwave, then adds it to the vinegar with a few pinches of salt. Everything gets poured over the onions, they sit and pickle, and done! 
I like to eat these after at least a few hours, and they'll keep in the fridge without getting mushy for a week or two. Uses include snacking, toppings for salads and tacos, or as part of a cheese board for appetizers. The addition of some water to the pickling liquid makes them really mild too, so you actually taste the onion and garlic in a great way. 
These are so simple, so delicious, and a perfect little zingy bite to all of your favorite summer dishes. Make a batch soon! 
Aunt J’s Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 whole onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 6 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 cup warm water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup red or white vinegar
Instructions
- Place the onion slices, garlic cloves, and peppercorns in a jar. Combine the water with the salt and vinegar, then pour the mixture into the jar.
- Place a lid on the jar and let the pickles sit at room temperature for about an hour, then keep them in the fridge until ready to use. This is a nice mild pickle and can be used immediately, but is best after 4 hours or so.
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