Onion Jam

Hi there!

Thank goodness a blog is not a living thing because I’d be sued for neglecting it for months and I’m pretty much glad that I don’t make money from blogging because I suck at concentrating on writing. Who could resist not clicking on stupid 9gag vids and cute animal vids? I started with plenty of ideas in my head but 2 hours later I’d be reading about how to grow onions. Speaking about onions, I have accepted the fact that I also suck in gardening so I may as well buy  all the onions I need. My thumbs just aren't that green.

Onion is one of my favorite pantry staples. It makes simple food tastes like 5 star cuisine and I do not like skimping on onions. I put it in the salad, I make it into pie, I use double amount of it in stir fries, basically I love onion for its taste and its health benefits. Though I do not go as far as worship it like the ancient Egyptians. Do you know that they believed that its spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternal life? Onions were even used in Egyptian burials, the archaeologists found traces of onions in the eye sockets of Ramesses IV. Cool and creepy, isn't it? They took the eyes out, put them in a clay jar then shoved an onion in each eye socket.

Anyhow, let’s stop there before you get grossed out by what I find amusing. Let me share you an amazing onion recipe that will turn your world upside down. Onion jam. I found the recipe at Allrecipes.com and this is perfect without any tweaking. I totally find it ahmazing that with just FOUR simple ingredients, you can turn a humble allium into a sassy, classy, sexy dish. The only thing I do differently is leaving the onion in the pot after I finish cooking it so it will mellow further and caramelize beyond perfection.

Here’s what you need:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup white sugar

4 cups onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup red wine vinegar 

ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot, use stainless or glass, over medium heat. Stir sugar into vegetable oil with a wooden spoon, stirring constantly until mixture is a light caramel-color. This mixture will be EXTREMELY HOT. So excuse my camera angle, I'm trying to deal with it fast and careful to avoid burning it, and protect myself from nasty hot sugar-oil splatter, and so should you.

Stir onion, salt, and black pepper into sugar mixture. Onions will immediately start to caramelize. Stir frequently over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and onions are browned, about 15 minutes. Pour red wine vinegar into onion mixture and simmer until mixture has a jam consistency, about 30 minutes. Let it cool in the pot with half the lid on.

How easy is that? Here is the result, EPIC!

It's tangy, it's sweet, it is just super umami. 

You can use it as a condiment when you serve steak or curry. It is a simpler substitute for chutney and you do not have to go through all the trouble of making chutney. But here is how we serve it at home. On bread, with a good spread of  cream cheese. 

It just can't get any better than this. The tanginess compliments the creaminess of the cheese. It is like a match made in heaven. It is just how things are meant to be. 

For more lovely onion ideas, you can try:

French Onion Muffin

Individual Potato Onion Tartes Tatin

Happy cooking,

Amy

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