Vegetables Recipes - Sweet and Sour Onions with Dried Cranberries Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 lb small pickling onions, unpeeled but roots trimmed

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 bay leaf

• 4 cloves

• 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2-3/4 cup chicken stock

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley or chives

• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

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Method:

1. Drop the onions into a large saucepan of boiling water. Bring back to a boil, blanch for 2 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, remove the outer layer of skin. Leave the tips untrimmed since this will prevent the onions from disintegrating later on.

2. In a skillet into which the onions can fit snugly in a single layer, heat the butter and oil with the bay leaf and cloves. When the butter is foaming, add the onions, stirring to coat, and simmer gently for a few minutes.

3. Add the vinegar and cook over moderate to high heat for 5 minutes, until reduced and sticky. Be careful not to let the pan dry out. Stir in the sugar, 1/2 cup of the stock, and some salt and pepper.

4. Cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring and turning the onions regularly, until the juices are reduced and syrupy and the onions are soft. Add more stock if the pan starts to look too dry.

5. When almost ready to serve, stir in the parsley and cranberries, and simmer for another minute. Transfer the onions to a serving dish and season with plenty of pepper.

Note: This is a perfect accompaniment to roast pork, goose, or turkey. The juices are deliciously rich and sticky, and taste almost like treacle. Cloves and cranberries cut the richness and prevent the dish from being overly cloying.