PICKLED ONIONS & LENTIL SALAD

MAKES ABOUT 1 PINT PICKLED ONIONS

PICKLING IS A WAY to enhance a simple ingredient like a sweet garden onion and give it a little extra acidity and crunch. I like pickled onions in a sandwich (Gramma Anthony’s Pickled Eggplant, here), or in a bowl of peas and rice (here). Lentils are a special favorite of mine, and I like to cook them simply with diced onions, garlic, and carrots covered with an inch of water for 20 minutes or until they’re soft. In the salad in the photo, I combine Pickled Onions with frisée, radicchio, and parsley, but use whatever greens you have on hand. A bit of the lentil cooking liquid keeps the salad moist.

For the Pickled Onions, follow the Basic Pickling Recipe (here), substituting these ingredients.

2 cups sliced cipollini or other small onions, rings separated

¾ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground turmeric