Pickled Red Onions

Method

1. slice5 min
   thin, with the grain
   onions in thin arcs pole to pole — with the grain, because cross-grain slices go limp in the brine while pole-to-pole ones keep a gentle bite for weeks; a mandoline makes them uniform, a sharp knife makes them fine
2. boil3 min
   the brine, just to dissolve
   vinegar + water + sugar + salt to a bare boil, stirred until dissolved — hot brine is the quick pickle's engine: it half-blanches the onions on contact, collapsing them into the liquid in minutes instead of days
3. pickle30 min
   brine poured hot over the packed jar
   onions packed into a jar (peppercorns, oregano or garlic among them if using), brine poured over to cover, pressed under the surface — within minutes the arcs turn shocking pink as the acid meets the onion's pigment; edible at thirty minutes, at their best from tomorrow, good in the refrigerator for three weeks
4. store2 min
   lidded, refrigerated
   and then on everything — tacos, grain bowls, sandwiches, eggs, the catalog's carnitas and burgers most of all; the jar earns its shelf space faster than anything else this cheap