onion marmalade …..and on a scone with brie and coriander

People often ask me where my inspiration for my cooking and recipes comes from, and to be honest most of it comes from whatever I have around at the time. So it’s ingredient-driven. I hate wasting food.  I had a pile of onions leftover from a shoot, so decided to make some onion jam.

I then contemplated what to call it because ‘marmalade’ in theory applies to citrus fruit (see my explanation of jam, marmalade, and jelly here), but onion jam doesn’t sound as good.  So marmalade it is.

It’s worth making a big batch of this as it shrinks down to a small quantity.

Recipe:

• 750gms finely sliced white onions (about 4 – 5 big onions)
• 3Tbs (about) of olive oil – a glug
• 1/2 cup of red wine
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves (optional)
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbs) red wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper

Gently fry the onion slices in the olive oil for about 10 – 15 minutes until they are softened and just starting to caramelize (you can use a large nonstick frying pan for this or a very big pot). Add the red wine and allow all the liquid to cook off (about 5 minutes). Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and add the sugar, vinegar, and bay and put a lid on the pan/pot (if you don’t have a lid for your frying pan, just use a baking tray as a lid) and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Allow to cool and fill a jar and store in the fridge for future use.

This is a really nice relish to have on hand.  It goes beautifully with steak or sharp cheese on a sandwich. It’s awesome with chicken liver pate.

I thought I would make an open scone sandwich with brie slices, onion marmalade, and fresh coriander.  The combination is truly delicious. If you use a miniature scone this is the perfect canape that will wow your guests at your party.

store in a jar and take it on a picnic