You will need a sterilized jar, a sharp knife or mandoline, and a non-reactive pan to make pickled onions. A funnel is useful but not required.

Sterilize a jar that will hold at least three cups/.75 kilos of onions with the liquid. It may not be full, but better a big enough jar than one that is too small.

Lacking a dishwasher, I wash my jars in boiling hot, soapy water, then dry them in a low oven. I handle them with tongs. I wash the lids the same way, but air dry them, again using tongs.

Thinly slice the onions with a mandoline or sharp knife. If you’re using a knife, slice a flat base on each onion to avoid cutting yourself.

To make the brine, pour the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, bay leaves, dried pepper and peppercorns into the pan and heat it to a low simmer. Stir in the sliced onions and bring the heat back to a simmer. Cook for thirty seconds. Turn off the heat, and decant the onions and brine into the jar. Allow it to cool, put on the lid, and refrigerate overnight before using.

Pickled onions keep indefinitely in the refrigerator, but it’s amazing how quickly they get eaten.

Use the onions in sandwiches, or alongside pork, poultry, beef, and rice dishes. As noted above, I used them with a Mexican red rice dish, and they were wonderful.

Notes:

Rodgers calls for yellow onions no larger than 2.5 inches/6cm around.

My onions came from the farmer’s market, and lacked labels. They were mixed colors–red, white, and purple. They were larger than boiling onions and not quite as difficult to peel. They were fresh and very sweet.

Use a wine or champagne vinegar. Don’t use a distilled, apple cider or malt vinegar, as these are too harsh.

Avoid using iodized salt if possible; your pickle will taste better.

As noted in the post, the original recipe calls for 2.5 tablespoons sugar. I think this would result in an unbearably sweet pickle, but taste and decide.