Whenever I have onions or other vegetables to use up, this is a good “waste not” recipe. It not only preserves them, but upcycles them into a garnish to use on top of stews, salads and stir-fries.

To sterilise a jar, either trust to your dishwasher or wash it in very hot water, then put on its side in a cold oven (ideally, sterilise a batch, to make the most of the oven energy). Turn the oven to 150C, then, when it reaches temperature, turn it off. Leave the jars inside until needed. To sterilise the lids, put in a saucepan of water, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and leave in the water until needed.

Makes 1 x 500ml jar

2 large red onions or other veg (good for chillies in our house) (about 400g), peeled and thinly sliced
275ml water
100ml vinegar
10g salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)
¼ tsp coriander seeds (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Put the onions in a 500ml sterilised jar. In a saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, salt and sugar, if you like your pickles sweet and sour. Add the coriander seeds, bay leaf and chilli flakes, if using, then bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar dissolves. Carefully pour the hot pickling liquor over the onions a little at a time, so as not to crack the jar, until covered, then loosely cover with the lid. Leave to cool, then tighten the lid to seal and store in the fridge. The pickles are ready to eat immediately; once opened, they’ll keep for two or three weeks.