Preserved Shallots
Pickled shallots or small onions are a classic nibble in English pubs, but they are often pretty assertive on the palette and thus limited in their uses. We decided to try and improve on this dish by using the technique for a shallot confiture as outlined by Oded Schwartz in his 1996 Preserving (978-0789410535) while retaining the classic flavors of malt, black pepper, and allspice used in typical pickled onion recipes. We were very pleased with the result and present it to you here. These little gems would make a perfect accompaniment to any number of British vegetarian dishes, such as Glamorgan ‘Sausages’. Makes 2 pints. 2½ pounds shallots Peel shallots by blanching in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Be sure to not cut through the bottom root plate or the shallots will fall apart with cooking. Place peeled shallots in a large non-reactive bowl. Cover with cold water. Stir in salt. Weigh down the shallots with a plate to keep them all under water and let rest for 24 hours. Place vinegar, sugar, barley malt syrup and spices into a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil and let boil steadily for 10 minutes. Carefully add drained shallots to the boiling syrup. Return to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and gently poach for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let rest for 24 hours at room temperature. Bring the mixture slowly to a boil again, reduce heat to a simmer, and gently poach for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let rest at room temperature another 24 hours. A final time bring the mixture slowly to a boil and very gently simmer for 2-2½ hours or until the shallots are translucent and brown. Carefully transfer cooked shallots into 2 sterilized pint jars. Top off each with some of the cooking syrup, making sure to leave ample headspace. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. While the shallots can be eaten right away they will improve with age. Archive |
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