Red Onion Marmalade

On the subject of marmalades, this is my shot at the fashionable idea of an onion accompaniment. It works well with cheese, and meat, as you might expect. I am not entirely happy with it, though. I have been aiming at a recipe that sets, in the same way that orange marmalade sets. Haven't achieved that yet, however. Consider this a tasty step on the road, and watch this space!

Equipment

Preserving pan
Garlic press
Stirring spoon
4 x 500ml jam jars and lids, sterile
Preserve funnel, sterile
Ladle, sterile.
Cooker, 1 fast ring.

Ingredients

2kg Red Onions
8 cloves of garlic
150g butter
50ml olive oil
300g sugar*
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
500ml red wine (2/3 bottle, to you!)
350ml red wine vinegar

*I used jam sugar, hoping the added pectin would help all solidify on cooling. It didn't, though.

Method. (makes around 2 litres)

It's mainly about boiling all in your preserving pan, and so should suit cooks of all degrees of skill.

Chop your red onions. The smaller you slice them, the finer the marmalade result. I quite like a 1cm square 'peasant' texture, but if you want something more refined, put the work in here. Next, dry fry the mustard and celery seeds on a high heat, and then drop in the butter and olive oil. When all is liquid, add your onions and garlic. Add the chilli powder, and sugar, and stir the mixture up, cooking all the while, until the onions are nicely coated and glistening with the butter/olive oil mixture.

Next. Turn the heat down, and just let simmer for around 45 mins. The idea is to get soft, squashy onions. Test, every so often. When your onions break under pressure from a wooden spoon against the side of your preserving pan, you are ready for the next stage.

Next. Add the wine, and wine vinegar. Simmer for half an hour, or until the mixture has reduced by around a third, and the liquid has been driven off. It should all turn into a deep, rich, burgundy colour during this time. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if desired. Then, ladle into sterile jars, and seal.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

PS. An update is in order. After 2 days in a cool larder, this marmalade has achieved the texture and consistency of, well, marmalade. As Confucious say, 'Success comes to he who waits...'

PPS. This works well with cheese on toast. Grill one side of your bread, turn over, spead the ungrilled side with onion marmalade, and grate cheese over the top. Grill until done. Deeeelicious.

Seville Orange, Lemon & Ginger Marmalade

I hesitate to provide this as a tried and tested recipe. It is more in the way of a successful experiment. Unfortunately, however, it took some time; time I spent happily sampling the latest home-made wine vintage. I know how I started, and I can see and taste the result, (and it's not at all bad), but the bit in between is something of a mystery to me. As best I can reconstruct last night's events, the proceedings proceeded as follows:

Equipment

Preserving pan
Cooker (1 fast ring)
Kitchen knife
Kettle
Ladle (sterile)
Preserve funnel (sterile)
6 x large jam jars and lids (sterile)
Dinner plate
Saucer
Teaspoon
Fork
Fridge

Ingredients (for approx 4kg)

1.3 kg Seville oranges, or thereabouts
2 lemons
200 g ginger, peeled and sliced into match-sticks
1 kg granulated sugar
1 kg jam sugar
3 - 5 litres of boiling water

Method.

Put the oranges and lemons in your preserving pan, with enough water to cover them. Add the ginger. Use a heat-proof dinner-plate to sink everything, if necessary. Simmer on a low heat until the fruit skins start to split, (about 2 hours) and are soft enough to puncture easily with a table-fork, adding extra boiling water whenever necessary to keep the fruit submerged.

Fish your fruit out at this stage, and leave them to cool to the point at which they are comfortable to handle. Reserve the liquor they have cooked in; you need it. Once the fruits are cool, cut them in half, and take out the pips. The remaining flesh and pith go into the cooking liquor. Then, slice the peel into matchsticks. These also go into the cooking liquor, together with the sugars, and about a litre (this is where I go hazy - add as much as seems sensible!) of boiling water. Stir until the sugars are all dissolved.

Turn the heat up high, and boil merrily for 10mins, and then test for a set, by putting a teaspoon-full on a saucer into the fridge for a few minutes. If it stays liquid, you need to continue boiling for a few more minutes, and then test again. Once you have a jelly-like result, you can turn the heat off, leave all to settle for 10-15 mins to allow the peel to distribute evenly, and then ladle into your sterile jars. Seal, and store for up to a year.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind

Here's a few words on sterilising.
And here's where to get reusable jars and lids.

Finally, it occurs to me that it might be appropriate to lift this recipe into the luxury class by stirring in a tumblerful of whisky immediately before the final boil. I haven't tried that, though - all the whisky I can afford gets drunk neat, long before it has a chance to figure in cooking.