Pickled Red Onions

I want to hit "pause" on life today. This summer feels like it's slipping away too quickly. I'm worried that I can't possibly see, do, and eat all the things I want to in this tiny window of time where life is like a postcard for the perfect Minnesota day.

My lunch today was transcendent bliss in the form of a crusty baguette, double cream brie, and slices of ruby red, juicy, ripe tomatoes from Grandpa Art's garden, dusted with a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt and a grind of freshly cracked black pepper. So simple. So perfect. Why can't we stop time right now so I can relish and savor every second of this time of year?

I feel like a hoarder with summer veggies - today I lost my mind at the Farmer's Market and bought enough produce to feed all of Minneapolis for a week.

The vegetables are so flawless right now that there's no need to really "cook" anything. Throw together whatever is ripe and it will taste amazing. I've been doing that and garnishing nearly every meal with these pickled red onions. They add a tart and sweet crunch to any salad or sandwich and they're beautifully bright pink.

They go extremely well with beets and spinach in a big tortilla wrap, with tomatoes and corn in a salad, or with goat cheese on top of this white bean and beet veggie burger (just mashed white beans, grated raw zucchini, and grated cooked beets formed into patties and pan fried in a bit of olive oil). I'll even snack on them straight out of the jar from time to time.

Pickled Red Onions

Recipe note: If you don't have any sweet fruit vinegar on hand (why not? you really should check out my raspberry vinegar recipe - it's easy and I use it a lot!), just bring 1 cup any kind of vinegar and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and add onions as directed in recipe below.

1/2 red onion, sliced into thin half moons

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar (or any sweet fruit vinegar)

pinch of kosher salt

Put onion slices into a bowl or jar. Add vinegar and salt. Stir or shake occasionally to coat all the onions in the vinegar. Let sit at room temp or in the fridge at least 30 minutes before using.

Enjoy on salads, burgers, wraps, or on their own.

ONE YEAR AGO: Grilled Balsamic Veggie Sandwich

TWO YEARS AGO: Mustard Dill Fish