pickled shallots - help!!

[daisymay]

Hi everyone

Cracked open a jar of shallots that I pickled a while back this week but they did not taste as good as previous years - very sharp and acidic....... was not until today when chatting to my mother in law that I realised:

I completely forgot  to soak them in brine overnight - just peeled them and poured over the vinegar!

Think it is because I soaked them in water to help get the skins off easier so in my mind I had done that stage of the process (never done that before).

What shall I do as I am not sure we can eat 8 jars of them in their current state?

Can I take them out of the vinegar now and soak them and put them back, or should we treat them as raw onions/ shallots and use them in cooking to use them up!

Gutted!!!  :-[ :'(

[daisymay]

[tim]

OMG!!

[daisymay]

if you think there is no hope Tim...... there really isn't!!

so disappointed.... my mother in law did exactly the same thing which helps a little bit!

[supersprout]

 :'( :'( :'(
bet we've all done it :-[ ;)

[daisymay]

might take a couple of jars and soak them, see what happens, nothing to loose.

[tim]

Daisy - didn't mean to put the cap on it - just hoped that someone would have the real answer.

Think - why soak in brine? - to dehydrate - so yes, why not do it now, can't harm - then boil the vinegar 10min to drive off any water it has absorbed - then as usual...................??

[daisymay]

OK great - thanks for the advice - will give it a go.........  :)

[supersprout]

let us know if it works daisymay ::)

[Toadspawn]

I haven't soaked mine shallots in brine for many years. I produce extra spiced vinegar by adding more pickling spices to basic malt vinegar, bring to the boil (just) and then simmer very gently for about 5 mins. Then pour the whole lot over the shallots in the jar. Seems to be OK most years.
By not soaking in brine to remove water they may be a bit softer than ones soaked.

Have you thought of straining off the vinegar and warming gently. Then disolve some sugar in it to sweeten it and reduce the sharp taste and pouring back over the shallots. Never done it but it may be worth a try. My father and mother always added a small amount of sugar to their shallots to make them taste sweeter.   

[daisymay]

might give that a try on some too...... though the OH looked horrified when I told him I was planning on boiling vinegar.... spent hours making apple chutney, autumn chutney and chilli jam at the weekend and the smell of vinegar has only just subsided!