Nearly all of my gifts to others at Christmas were handmade and homemade. I thought it would be thoughtful, and I like to make things. So as early as the summer I started planning gifts to make and what started out as small homemade gifts turned into a super project once the boyf got hold of my spreadsheet. By December I was putting together Christmas Boxes with a bunch of different presents for our loved ones to open. These obviously included the blackberry and raspberry vodka, but also some Onion Jam for the non-alcoholics in the family.
This onion jam was so damn tasty that I whipped up a second batch just so I had a stash for myself in the fridge. I have polished off 2 jars in 2 weeks. I think I may have a problem.
The thing is, onion jam is perfect for this time of year when the house is laden with cold meats, cheeses and crackers. I know it’s January now but we are still knee-deep in crackers. It would be wasteful not to eat them all right?
Onion Jam
- 150ml Cider Vinegar
- 10 Cloves
- 1/2 Cinnamon Stick
- 1.5Kg Onions
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 jar of Redcurrant Jelly
- 260g Brown Sugar
- 1tsp Lemon Juice
- Pinch of Ground Ginger
- Firstly make a spiced vinegar by heating the cloves and cinnamon in the cider vinegar. Bring it to a simmer, remove from the heat and allow to steep whilst you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Finely slice the onions and slowly fry them in oil for around 45 minutes. They should be soft and transparent. Slow frying is the key!
- Sieve the spices from the vinegar and discard. Add the vinegar to the onions and bring to boil for 5 minutes.
- Add the redcurrant jelly and sugar. Stir over the heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add ginger and lemon juice and allow mixture to boil gently for an hour, or until you have a gloopy consistency. The test is to scrape the jam from the bottom of the pan and it slowly replaces the path where the spoon has been.
- Allow to completely cool before spooning into sterilised jars.
- Enjoy with crackers, meats and cheeses.
** I made some cute labels for the lids using Em’s free download which you can find here. I popped our details on them, printed them out and spent hours cutting them out individually. Simple. :-S (P.S. Em’s Christmas crafting posts are super inspiring).