Red onion marmalade
Soft, sticky onion marmalade – great with pâtés and terrrines or a ploughman’s lunch
- Ready in 2¼ hours, plus cooling time
- More effort
Nutrition per serving
- kcal 0
- fat 0g
- saturates 0g
- carbs 0g
- sugars 0g
- fibre 0g
- protein 0g
- salt 0g
Ingredients
- 2kg red onions or regular onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 140g butter
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 140g golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaf
- pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 75cl bottle red wine
- 350ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 200ml port
Method
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, chilli 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.
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.