Never too much

Is there a single cook in New Zealand who could manage without onions? These family favourite recipes will help you love them even more.

Quick-pickled Red Onions

Peter Edmonds is an 80-year-old widower from Hamilton. He’s lived on his own for the last six years and while his small cottage has an easy-care section with silverbeet, rhubarb, tomatoes, chillies and lettuce, he also has two “wonky” knees, which makes kneeling and getting up – and therefore gardening – difficult. So he gets any other vegetables he needs from his local markets, where he finds the prices better than in supermarkets.

He’s a fearless forager, “unashamedly” gathering pūhā and dandelion from wherever he sees it, watercress from city walkways, and when he sees kawakawa, he uses the leaves to make a lovely tea. “We also have fruit falling from trees and going to waste. So I ask permission to gather and this is where pickles come in handy as I give back where I have got from.”

He’s become a whiz at pickling and preserving his finds, using them to stock up his pantry and also to trade. “I was recently restoring an old trailer and I traded pickles for a new set of tailgate fittings and tow ball clamp. I got a pail of Māori potato seeds in another recent trade on Neighbourly.”

He also gives his pickles, preserves and jams away to friends, neighbours and to the women’s refuge. Visitors to his home usually leave with a jar of something!

It is not a particularly expensive hobby but getting jars is difficult so Peter cruises the streets on his mobility scooter on glass collection days and dumpster dives for jam jars with lids. He cleans them, removes the paper then sterilises them in boiling water.

As for his red onion pickle recipe, “I have not seen onions pickled this way but it seemed a very straightforward progression after remembering helping my grandmother pickle shallots when I was a youngster. I have just opened a jar I made five months ago and they are still crisp and have the lovely pickled taste. These onions just fly off the shelf when I have visitors.”

The onions are great for adding some crunch to salads and sandwiches, or on a cheese board.

Makes about 4 jars

1 cup white vinegar ½–1 cup sugar (see tip) 4–5 cups water

8 red onions, peeled

“I have not seen onions pickled this way but it seemed a very straightforward progression after remembering helping my grandmother pickle shallots when I was a youngster,” says 80-year-old Peter Edmonds.

Put the vinegar, sugar and water in a pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil. Once it reaches boiling, remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

While the brine is cooling, cut the onions in half and cut again into 5mm-thick slices.

Add the sliced onions to the brine once it has cooled for 15 minutes, cool further and then transfer into sterilised jars to store.

TIP Taste the brine and adjust the sugar and/or vinegar to your taste before using. Dip a teaspoon into the liquid and after a few seconds the spoon will be cool enough to taste.

Caramelised Baby Onions

Diana Short’s Auckland garden didn’t fare too well in the summer storms. The vegetable garden was completely swamped. So, Diana and her son Kane are working to clear the damage and start again. Once they’re back up and running, they’ll continue to garden with the same ethos as before, using only organic compost, seaweed and fish fertiliser, and avoiding using sprays.

They don’t grow onions, just buy what they need from the supermarket, but they do always grow spring onions and chives in pots as they love using them in sandwiches.

Diana has two delicious onion dishes (the next recipe is hers as well). This one is adapted from the fullofplants.com.

Using whole baby onions means you get a delicious burst of flavour when you pop one in your mouth, she says. They’re great as an appetiser or make for the perfect side dish with roast meats or grilled chops, the sweetness

of the onions contrasting perfectly with savoury meats. The leftovers (if there are any) go well in salads or sandwiches.

Serves 3–4 as a side

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 whole baby onions, peeled

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Sprinkle of celery salt, to taste

1 cup water

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley, to garnish

(optional)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onions and saute for 5–7 minutes until they start to brown. Add the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring, for another 2–3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and celery salt. Pour in the water and cover with a lid.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 40– 45 minutes, until the onions are soft all the way through when pricked with a sharp knife. Remove from the heat.

Sprinkle with Italian parsley (if using) and serve warm.

Baked Onions with Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream

This one is from Diana Short’s treasure trove of old handwritten recipe notebooks, and is another fabulous side dish option for meat dishes.

Serves 2 as a side 6 onions, peeled 75g unsalted butter ¼ cup olive oil

Handful lemon thyme sprigs

200g tub creme fraiche or sour cream Chopped Italian parsley, to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160 ºC.

Trim the bases of the onions so they will stand upright. Rub butter over bases, and sprinkle with salt and pepper (to taste).

Place the onions in a double layer of foil or baking paper, cut large enough to raise and twist over onions for later sealing. Pour a little olive oil on each onion and scatter over the lemon thyme sprigs. Seal the parcel and place in roasting tin. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Open parcel, split open each onion, spoon over the cooking juices and add the creme fraiche or sour cream, which will melt into the soft onions.

Sprinkle over parsley before serving, if using.