When you are planning your BBQ for the 4th of July or the next summer party, try making these sweet and sour onions as a side dish and stand back and receive the compliments!
Tiny pearl onions are cooked in an infusion of water with sugar and vinegar. I like to add a little chili pepper (whole- so I can take it out) to give it a little kick.
The end result is eating onions that taste like a BBQ sauce!
I prefer to let them slow cook the day before, so the flavors have time to blend.
If you can’t find cipolline, boiling onions, use small shallots or you can simply use sliced onions and it comes out like an onion jam.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lbs peeled boiling onions
- 2 Tbs sugar
- 2 Tbs vinegar
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs tomato paste
- water and/or white wine
- salt
- 1 dry red chili pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Place onions in a single layer in a large flat saute’ pan, in one layer of possible.
- They should be covered with water.
- Add olive oil, salt, sugar, dry red chili pepper, vinegar
- Stir to mix.
- Cover and boil for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Boil until the water is gone and the onions begin to glaze. Check the onions if they are cooked all the way through, if not, add more water and continue cooking until done.
- Stir to prevent burning or sticking.
- Remove red chili before serving.
You can make these even richer and fancier by adding some raisins or cranberries while cooking and then garnishing with toasted pine nuts.
I’m drooling
Oooh – great idea! Love the balsamic vinegar/pine nuts variation! I’ll have to try these.
If I leave it up to you, I will never leave my kitchen this summer…these onions sound amazing and as soon as my guy at the market has some available (soon I should think), then…I can hardly wait!