Pickled Shallots And Garlic In Balsamic Vinegar Food

PICKLED SHALLOTS AND GARLIC IN BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Separate the garlic into individual cloves. Peel each garlic clove, leaving it whole.
• Mix the salt and the cold water together in a large bowl until the salt has dissolved, making a brine solution.
• Place the onions and garlic in the brine and leave for 12 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
• Place the onions and garlic, mixed together, in sterilised bottles or jars.
• In a non-reactive pan, heat together the balsamic vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and spices and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and cool.
• Pour the spiced vinegar over the onions and garlic covering them completely. Cover the bottles or jars and leave for 3 months before using.

BALSAMIC PICKLED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Tip the shallots into a large bowl, pour over a kettleful of boiling water, leave to stand for a minute, then drain. When cool enough to handle, sit down, turn the radio on and get peeling.
• Set the peeled shallots aside and place all the other ingredients except the balsamic vinegar into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, then simmer for 3 mins. Drop the shallots into the pan and simmer for 8-10 mins until just tender. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the shallots and basil out into sterilised jars (see Know-how, below), then boil the liquid vigorously for 5 mins. Turn the heat off, stir in the balsamic vinegar, then pour over the shallots to cover. Seal the jars and leave for at least 3 days. Will keep for up to 3 months.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a heavy medium skillet, bring the oil to the smoking point over high heat. The oil must be very hot or the fish will stick. Add the fillet and brown it quickly on both sides. About 1 1/2 minutes total.
• Put the fillet into an oiled roasting pan and roast until it is softly resilient to the touch, about 9 minutes. Remove the fish to a warmed platter.
• Add the shallots, pepper, vinegar and honey to the roasting pan. Place the pan over low heat and deglaze it, stirring and simmering until the shallots have softened, 3-4 minutes.
• Slice the fillet into 1" pieces. Pour the sauce on top and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

PORK CHOPS IN BALSAMIC VINEGAR AND SHALLOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan large enough to hold the chops in one layer, over medium-high heat.
• Season the chops with salt and pepper, and cook them through, approximately 5 minutes per side, or as needed according to the thickness of your chops.
• Remove from pan and keep warm.
• Add shallots to the pan and cook them, stirring, one minute.
• Add chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and crumbled thyme.
• Cook stirring 5 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, and add the butter.
• Stir till the butter has melted and is well incorporated into the sauce.
• Pour sauce over the chops, and serve.

PICKLED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Combine the vinegar, wine, sugar, peppercorns, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt in a medium saucepan.
• Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the shallots and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely in liquid.
• Transfer the shallots and all liquid to a jar or plastic container. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

SPICED PICKLED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• The day before pickling, put the shallots in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to cool, then drain and peel away the skins and trim the root ends.
• In a large bowl, mix the coarse crystal sea salt with 300ml boiling water and let it dissolve to make a brining solution. Add 1.2 litres cold water, then the shallots. Cover and leave to soak overnight. The next day, drain, rinse then drain again. Pack the shallots into sterilised jars (see tip below).
• To make the pickling vinegar, put the whole spices in a medium saucepan. Toast over a low heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Add the dried chilli flakes last, as these can easily catch.
• Add the bay, pour in all of the vinegar and sugar, let it dissolve, and bring to a simmer.
• Pour the hot vinegar over the shallots and seal while hot. Ready to eat in 1 month, or longer, if you like.

CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR, SHALLOTS, AND GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook bacon on medium heat until crisp in a large skillet. Remove bacon and allow to drain and cool on paper towels. Leave bacon fat in skillet.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Brown chicken in bacon fat over med. high heat, turning once halfway through cooking. When chicken is no longer pink, transfer to plate and pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from skillet.
• Add shallots to skillet over med. low heat. Cover and stir occasionally until light golden color. Remove lid and cook a few minutes more until they are a deep golden color. Stir often to keep them from sticking and burning.
• Add garlic to skillet along with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil while stirring for about a minute.
• Place chicken back into skillet, turning to coat with the liquid. Cover skillet and simmer for about 30 minutes.
• While waiting, put bacon slices in a ziplock bag and crush with your hands into big bacon bits.
• Remove chicken from skillet and arrange on a serving dish. Add vinegar to skillet and bring to a boil to reduce the sauce, stirring and mashing the garlic. Add more pepper to taste.
• Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with bacon bits.