French Onion Marmalade - Confit
D' Oignon
Recipe Type:
Condiments,
Balsamic Vinegar,
Onions,
Wine
Yields: serves many
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients:
3 large red or white onions, peeled, cut in half, and thinly sliced*
1/2 cup
olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse or sea
salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground
black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar (you can add more or less according to your taste)
1/3 cup dry red
wine
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup good-quality
Balsamic Vinegar
* You can use any large onion
variety that you desire. If you use a white onion, use white wine and white wine
vinegar.
Preparation:
Cut off the stem and root ends of
the onions, then halve then lengthwise, and peel away the dried skin. Cut the
onions into 1/4-inch slices. It is important to have all the onion slices
roughly the same size so they cook evenly. At this point, your pot will be full
of sliced onions, but the onions will wilt and shrink dramatically during the
cooking process.
In a large heavy frying pan over
medium heat, heat up the olive oil. Add the sliced onions, tossing around to
make sure they all have a coating of olive oil. Reduce heat to mediums and
cook, covered, until the onions start to color. Add the salt, pepper, bay
leaves, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, an additional 20 to 30
minutes or the herbs have wilted.
Add the brown sugar, wine, and
wine vinegar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; then lower the heat to low
and let simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes until the liquid is dissolved
and the onions are soft and sticky. NOTE: Stir constantly
during this process so that the onions do not stick to the bottom of the pan and
become burnt.
Remove the rosemary and bay
leaves; discard. Leave it cool for a while before spooning it into warmed, sterilized, glass jars.
The Onion
Marmalade is now ready to serve and eat, but it only gets better if left to
mellow at least 2 weeks, even better after 1 to 2 months.
The onion marmalade will keep for up to 6 months
if immediately poured into sterilized glass preserving jars and then sealed or
for up to three (6) days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
