A Year in Preserving - Pickled Shallots

The ploughman's lunch has almost become a cliche and its history will be argued about every time people sit down to a hunk of bread, a slab of cheese and a pickled onion. There is little doubt that this is the sort of lunch that a farm labourer would have taken with him into the fields to satisfy his hunger as his horses rested. However, during the 1970's it became standard fare in pubs across the country. It requires very little skill or time to prepare, thus not requiring a chef. It was made up of relatively cheap ingredients (at least compared to cold meats). It was also cold so did not require a full kitchen in which to prepare it.
I love the simple combination of bread, cheese and something acidic and strong flavoured. The powerful sharp kick of a well made pickled onion cuts through the fattiness of the cheese and seasons the whole meal. The only thing missing is a pint of foaming English ale!
We have pickled food in brine or vinegar for many centuries. As a method of preserving it is very effective. The acidity or salinity prohibits bacterial growth and as they are liquids, oxygen is excluded minimising spoilage.
My paternal grandmother produced wonderful pickled onions. Strictly speaking she pickled shallots, but she wasn't a woman one corrected. It is a shame that she passed away long before I was interested in food and so I was never able to steal her recipe but over the past few years I have developed a method of pickling onions/shallots which has never failed me.
At this time of year I purchase a couple of kilos of shallots and start pickling with one eye on the Festive period of midwinter.
Sarsons have been making vinegar since the 18th century and I always have one of their large jars of pickling vinegar in stock. These large bottles are also perfect for making your pickled onions in as they have a nice wide neck and the labels are placed on the jars with water soluble glue (I wish all producers would do this as it would make re-using much easier and cut down on the amount energy involved in recycling glass.)
On the subject of pickling vinegar, you an add any robust spices to the manufacturers product and despite what people say, left over vinegar can be filtered (I use muslin) and used again, though you will need to add some more fresh vinegar. I kid myself that I'm building up some kind of Solera system over years with this, much like the method used with some Sherries, but I suspect it is more about my imagination than any culinary truth.

Pickled shallots (will also work for onions)

Shallots (I used about 2.5 kg)
Pickling vinegar
Salt
Spics (Dried Chillies, Black peppercorns, Bay leaves, or whatever you fancy)

Place the shallots in a large colander and pour over boiling water. Leave them for 3 or 4 minutes and then peel them.

Blanched and ready to peel

Place them in a bowl adding a good handful of salt for every layer of shallots.
Leave this bowl in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. (I tend to go for about 16 hours)

Ready for pickling

Wash the shallots and dry them on a tea towel.
Pop them in jars with your spices and pour on the vinegar. Make sure that your onions are covered and that your spices are forced down if they float or trapped if they sink. Be careful with chillies, if you add too many you may render the onions inedible, I know this from bitter, or rather burning experience. 

Ready for storage

They will be perfectly good after about 5 weeks but will continue to improve for many months. I recommend you taste regularly to make sure!
Note - The salting process is vital. The reason why a lot of commercial pickled onions are soft and lack crunch is because they have been brined and not salted. This means that they maintain weight but loose firmness. A pickled onion without firmness is not very appealing.
I began this piece focusing on the Ploughman's lunch. Generally I tend to serve pickled onions and shallots with a cheeseboard or a supper board made up of dried meats and cheese, or I simply place them alongside the feast of leftovers that is, Boxing Day Lunch.