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I got the idea for onion jam when roaming Giulia Scarpaleggia’s cookbook about Tuscany based on her food blog Jul’s Kitchen. What I didn’t do: I didn’t cook the onion sugar mess for a rather long time… I simply opted for preserving sugar.
While jam cooking is often associated w/ spring & summer, onion jam is a delicacy independent from seasons. Onions are available year-round as well as the spices we’ll use…
Have a look at my photo: onion jam is a friend w/ any cheese platter, w/ any cheese & bacon & salami platter… You may serve it whenever you like – a cheese platter w/ or w/o meat component is fine during any season.
Let’s start w/ the onions!
I used red onions, fresh & spicy & a little sweet.
For the record:
Be prepared that your kitchen will hold the flavors of cooked onions for some hours!
What else do we need?
It’s just:
- onions
- red wine
- red wine vinegar
- ground black pepper
- ground cloves
- juniper berries
- preserving sugar (type 2:1).
The main obstacle might be the trimming & the slicing of the onions. It’s a lot of onions & a lot of cutting to do… Your eyes will suffer…
Don’t forget to prepare the jam jars!
Afterwards grab the pot for the jam preparation & start frying the onion slivers in some olive oil. Add the spices… Put the juniper berries in a stainless steel tea-egg… & stir. Cook everything for about 30 min until the onions are soft.
Add the red wine & the vinegar & cook… & stir… until the liquid is evaporated (about 10 – 15 min).
Add the preserving sugar, let it dissolve & bring it to a boil. The onion mess should boil for about 3 – 5 min.
Then fill the mess in the jam jars, close the srew cap & turn the jam jars upside down.
Ready.
Enjoy!
- 1200 g red onions
- 150 ml red wine
- 75 ml red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 juniper berries
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g preserving sugar (2:1)
- a tea-ball (stainless steel)
- 5 - 6 jam jars (a 200 - 250 ml)
- Prepate the jam jars (cleaning...).
- Trim the onions & cut them into quarters; afterwards cut the onions into thin slices. Start frying the onions in olive oil in a pot big enough for the jam session.
- Add the spices - the juniper berries in the tea-ball - & fry softly until the onions are soft. Don't forget to stir the mess every now & then. It shouldn't stick to the bottom.
- After about 30 min add red wine & vinegar - let it cook softly & stir for about 10 - 15 min. The liquid should have evaporated...
- Remove the tea-egg!
- Add the preserving sugar & bring it to a boil. Attention: when the sugar is dissolving the liquid will increase again!
- Let it boil for at least 3 - 5 min - always stirring!
- Then fill the onion mess into the jam jars - immediately - & close the screw cap. Turn the jam jars upside down for cooling.
For dinner I assembled a cheese platter w/ fine examples from France, Italy & Spain… & added some prosciutto crude di San Daniele & some salami di finocchio… & a fresh brown bread w/ pumpkin seeds…
All met w/ my home-made onion jam…
…& we had an Italian red wine from Montepulciano…
The businesswoman w/ too many office hours thinks
It was a fine dinner – although my better half thought the onion jam was a little too sweet… (For me it was totally okay!) However next time I might try some more vinegar… & maybe I’ll try adding some other spices.
…& once done (the jam cooking!) I’ll now have 6 (!) small jars of onion jam for a lot of cheese platter events during the next months!
