Week 58

I am trudging through the onions, still!  I did make something that is super yummy with them, Caramelized Red Onion Jam.  Stop right here if you won't cook with wine.  The taste just wouldn't be the same.  Personally, I don't drink, ever, however I do cook with wine.  If you're a bit adventuress, give it a try. This recipe is from Small Batch Preserving.

Ingredients:

2 large red onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 fresh bay leaves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon each)

Instructions:
Stir the onions and brown sugar together in a large, heavy bottomed enamel pot. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the onions are very soft and deep brown in color (about 25 minutes). If the onions stick while cooking, stir in 1/4 cup of water and stir vigorously, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add the wine, vinegar, and herbs. Turn the heat to high and bring the onions to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove the relish from the heat, pick out the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Pack the relish into hot half pint jars, seal, and process for 10 minutes.

Cook's Notes: Since I don't drink I didn't know anything about the wine.  I bought an inexpensive bottle of red wine from the store. It was under $3.  I  actually used red , brown and white onions, since that is what I picked.  I also skipped the bay leaf and thyme. (DH and  I don't like thyme.) I used more onions than what they called for, so I doubled the rest of the ingredients.  I had sliced the onions into rings, but the next batch I will chop in the food processor.  The mixture turns into a tar-like substance.  We tried it on grilled cheeseburgers...oh..so..good!