Onion Marmalade
1.25kg onions sliced into thin rings
3 tbsp salt
1kg preserving or granulated sugar
500ml vinegar
1 tsp cloves tied in a piece of muslin
2 tsp caraway seeds
Sprinkle the onion slices with the salt. Mix well and leave to stand for 1 hour. Rinse and dry.
Put the sugar, vinegar and muslin bag in the preserving pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. add the onions & caraway seeds. Return to the boil. skim, reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 2 to 2 and a half hours or until the syrup is thick and the onion translucent and golden brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the onion to settle for a few minutes. Ladle the mixture into hot sterilised jars and then seal.
The marmalade is ready to eat immediately, but improves with keeping. Shelf life is 2 years.
From the… Oded Schwartz’s book “Preserving”
ISBN 0 7513 03452
Which is now sadly out of print. you can get it on amazon marketplace but its a bit pricey..
Posh version…
Red onion marmalade
Soft, sticky onion marmalade – great with pâtés and terrrines or a ploughman’s lunch
Fills about four 500ml jars
Ready in 2¼ hours, plus cooling time
Ingredients..
2kg.. red onions
4.. garlic cloves
140g.. butter
4 tbsp.. olive oil
140g.. golden caster sugar
1 tbsp.. of fresh time leaves
Pinch of chili flakes {optionl}
75cl.. of Red wine
350ml.. of Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
200mls.. of Port
Method
1. Halve and thinly slice the onions, then thinly slice the garlic. Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, chili flakes if using and some salt and pepper. Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly. Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they’re really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don’t rush this part.
2. Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It’s done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice. Leave the onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal. Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months.
