Adapted from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus time to chill (10 minutes of work)
Yield: about 3 1/2 cups

Red onions have a secret talent: they turn a beautiful, bright shade of purplish-pink when doused with hot water and then marinated, and in this pickled state, they stay crunchy and delicious seemingly forever.

Serve Pickled Red Onions in every imaginable context: next to or over hot or cold bean and grain dishes, with (or in) salads or sandwiches, on toast or crackers, with hors d'oeuvres„you name it.

2 medium-sized red onions (about 1 pound)
4 cups boiling water

MARINADE:
1/2 cup cider or rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons honey or sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves (optional)

1. Peel the onions and slice them as thin as you possibly can. Transfer them to a medium-sized bowl.
2. Pour the boiling water into the bowl, and let the onions soak in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander.
3. While the onions sit in the colander, combine the marinade ingredients in the same bowl, and mix well. Stir in the onions, and let them sit in the marinade for about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the onions with all the liquid to a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and chill until very cold. This will keep in the refrigerator for weeks.