Onion Jam

The Recycled Cook

By Adrian Sleeman

Onion Jam




 Having been given half a dozen extremely large white onions that a friend of mine grew on his allotment I originally set out to make some onion jam with them and in the process that also turned into a classic French onion soup. I will start with
the jam and do a separate blog for the soup later.

 Is it technically recycling when you set out to make one thing and end up making two? 

 Probably not but they are both great ways to use up rather a lot of onions and they both start of the same way.

 First of all you need to peel and thinly slice the onions into a large saucepan. If you use a Mandoline , as I have done, make sure to use the guard provided or risk slicing your fingers as well as the onions. I usually start off just slicing the vegetable but see the guard long before I get anywhere near my fingers.

 Sweat off the onions with some cubes of unsalted butter and olive oil, I used a garlic infused oil but that is just my preference. Soften for about 15 to twenty minutes turning frequently over a low heat until the onions are soft and golden brown in colour. 

 Note: If making Onion soup you would then add a cup of plain flour to the onion to make a roux which would act as a thickening agent.

To make the Onion jam you need to add two cups of red wine, red wine vinegar (you can use a sherry or a Balsamic vinegar), brown sugar to sweeten (I used a home made apple and ginger jelly but you could also use honey). How much vinegar and sugar you add is totally down to taste but be careful when tasting anything containing sugar, as it gets very hot, make sure you allow it to cool on the spoon first. 
Once the jam is reduced and thickened you can either blitz it to a smooth consistency of if preferred leave the onion slices whole. Adjust the balance of vinegar and sugar to taste and bottle in sterilised jam jars. 
Onion Jam
You don't need to buy expensive jam jars, just rinse out and wash old empty glass jars or just pop them in the dish washer, remove the labels and store until needed. Making your own labels is also a great addition. Apart from saving you money it also reduces glass waste going to landfill.

 These can be sterilised before use by putting in the oven for ten minutes on a moderate heat, take care when handling as glass retains heat very well.


Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home Made Chutney

Image
The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Home Made Chutney Another great way of preserving food is by making chutney or relish. Although we think of chutney as being Asian or South east Asian in origin they in fact came from Northern Europe as long ago as 500bc. The Romans embraced the method and eventually so did the British empire who took them to tropical regions where they have since been adopted by those countries. The name "Chutney" that we use today is derived from the Hindi word "Chattni" which means "to lick", they were usually sweetened with honey rather than sugar and were added to dishes as a sweetening agent rather than used as a relish as we do now.  Chutneys can be made from almost any combination of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices and are usually grouped as either a sweet or spiced chutney.  Natural preservatives are used to keep the chutney from going mouldy, such as vinegar,  l emon juice or tamarind paste.  You can blend t
Read more

Make more of Lentils

Image
The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Make more of L entils Here is one of my favourite dishes for using up odds and ends that makes a great alternative to potatoes or rice as a staple food. It can be used as a base for a meal or stand alone as the meal itself. Lentils originate in Asia and North Africa and are one of our oldest sources of food known to man. This humble relative of the common garden pea is a rich in protein and carbohydrates and is also also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron and B vitamins. There are several different varieties of lentil readily available, most commonly Brown, Red and Green lentils, although Puy and Yellow are stocked in many health and specialist shops.  Which type of lentil you use depends on the kind of dish. They are usually bought dried and it is important to rinse them well before cooking with them. You can soak them to reduce cooking time but to be honest I prefer not to as they absorb so much more flavour that way.  G
Read more

Traditional Welsh Cawl

Image
The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Traditional Welsh Cawl Making leftover food into even tastier dishes is all about using your imagination to its fullest. What better place to start than with a Welsh classic, " C awl ", which in Welsh sim ply means mixture. This is a dish that you will find in rural areas all over the world, wi t h many different names and variations: C aldo, Cazuela, Cock-a-leekie or Ajiaco to name but a few but they all have one thing in common, they are cheap, who lesome, warming and satisfying.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_soup The thing abo ut recycling food is that you need to plan ahead, that way you wa s te little and make far more of the food y ou are cooking. S o what is "Cawl" made from?  Ingredients: 2 Litres of Stock ( see below for method ) A whole chicken carcass (you can also use leftover pieces of Beef or Lam b ) Whatever root vegetables you have; Carrots, Swede, Potatoes , P
Read more