Pickled Shallots
OK, here's an easy way to beat back winter (if not the snow lining our deck): some pickled shallots. Although that's the easy way to say the name of the dish. It's really Cebolinhas no Vinagre. But since I don't even pretend to speak the first word of Brazilian Portuguese, I'm going with Pickled Shallots.
These little bits of sweet zip show up in relish trays in small Brazilian restaurants, even in New York, but particularly near Cachoeira. They're usually made with small, red onions, ones we don't get in the United States. So Bruce reinterpreted the dish the other night for a dinner party with shallots. He made a room temperature relish tray of these, olives, caper berries, roasted red peppers, Manchego, and grilled squid to serve before a meal of marinated skirt steak, oven fries, and chimichurri. Let's just say we were having a South American feast.
And while the food was good, I loved these shallots most of all.
First off, peel a pound of shallots. Which is not as easy as it sounds. Because shallots are not what they seem. Some have two lobes. Although not always. Shallots are a confusing thing. Some varietals, especially those grown in North America, are the two-lobe affair. And the ones grown in France and central Europe, favored in fancy farmers' markets: one lobe. And in Australia, some people call scallions "shallots." See? I always quake a little when I write "shallots" in a recipe. Will anyone know what I'm talking about? And if Bruce calls for 1 shallot, does he mean the one-lobe or the two-lobe model?
Fortunately, it doesn't matter in this recipe. Use anything except that Aussie shallot.
Put them in a big saucepan and add 4 cups water, 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3 peeled garlic cloves, 8 crushed black peppercorns, and 2 bay leaves. Also--and this is the real pleasure--add 10 kumquats, cut into small chunks, perhaps quartered or thickly sliced, depending on how large the fruit is.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring once in a while--then take the pan off the heat and use a slotted spoon to dip out the shallots and kumquat rings so they cool a bit in a colander without continuing to cook in the hot liquid, about 20 minutes.
Place the shallots and kumquats in a big glass jar, pour the marinade over them, seal it up, and set it in the fridge for at least 2 days. Serve them by straining some out of the marinade. The rest will last a good two weeks. Although ours didn't. They were all gone at the end of that dinner party.
condiments, kumquats, pickles, relish, shallots 
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (2)
Your pickled shallots reminds me of an Asian pickled vegetable that I love. It may actually be shallots because it's looks like a bulb, although smaller, and is all white, but has the layers of an onion, but not as potent. I used to love snacking on them, and now may try shallots instead. The kumquats were a nice touch.
Ben: They're fantastic. Especially with something off the grill.
M.