Accompaniments: Pickled Cipollini Onions

Okay, so I probably put too much thyme.  One sprig was more than sufficient, but look how pretty it looks in the jar.  Its like a little a plant with vines growing around smooth stones.  I love pickles and, truthfully, I love making them too.  Somehow it makes me feel both crafty and economical.  It appeals to my "no-waste" philosophy of living.  However, I so wanted to make these that I bought the onions for this purpose rather than them being leftover onions I decided to pickle.

Unlike most of the pickles I have made in the past, these are a short life pickle.  According to the original recipe I found the shelf life is about two to three weeks. I usually use a white vinegar diluted with water when pickling with a generous amount of salt as well.  In the few recipes I found for pickles that have a shorter shelf life, the vinegar of choice is a white wine vinegar, with less salt but more generous amounts of sugar (something I always leave out of my pickle recipes entirely) and a touch of oil.  Note: no water.
As you might expect, the result was a milder, less acidic taste with just a hint of sweetness.

Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Issue February - March 2011

• 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic ( I used 2 small) peeled 
• 1 hot chili pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• as many cipollini onions as you can fit in a 1pint jar (peeled)
• 1 sprig of thyme

Cram the thyme and onions in your sterilized glass jar until you can't fit any more. Put all other ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour the liquid over he onions in the jar.  Tuck in your chili pepper, bay leaf and garlic cloves.  Open in two days.