Not the sort of jam you’d spread on hot buttered toast with afternoon tea but this caramelized tangy-sweet confection makes a perfect addition to pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches and omelets; or serve it on crisp little crostinis, perhaps topped with soft goat cheese – or use as a topping for burgers, steak, pork chops, grilled salmon, confit of duck, etc.
With the help of a little honey, the slow cooking process really brings out the sweetness of the onions and the addition of wine or sherry vinegar gives it a perfectly balanced tanginess.
I’ve made this with red and white onions, both with delicious results and as onion jam freezes well, it’s ideal for instance when you need something special at the last minute to throw onto a wild mushroom and prosciutto pizza.
This recipe pretty much takes care of itself in the cooking process, freeing you up to do other things. Just give it the occasional stir…
Onion ‘Jam’
ONION JAM
Ingredients:
2 oz (57g) of butter
8 oz (230g) of red or white onions, sliced very thinly
A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of wine (red or white) or sherry vinegar
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Action:
In a wide, heavy pan with a well fitting lid, melt the butter over a low heat then add the sliced onions. Stir for about 4-5 minutes until the onions start to soften then add the fresh thyme, honey and vinegar and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir everything well to combine and with the heat at it’s lowest setting, put the lid on and allow the onions to cook for about one hour, giving them an occasional stir.
After an hour take the lid off and if necessary, bring up the heat to evaporate any remaining liquid. The onions should have a meltingly soft and jammy consistency.
Allow the onion jam to cool a bit before you decide how to use it.
Edibletcetera - Fast & Fabulous Food 
This looks delicious. >
It is! I keep a batch in my freezer to elevate numerous dishes 😉
I am definitely making this! I can attest to its delicious effect on Pizza, thanks Jackie, and I can think of many other uses for it as well. The flavor is rich and intense.
Glad you approve! 🙂
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Sounds fabulous! Will it keep if I sterilize jars and put the jam in hot and store in cold cellar Thinking Xmas gifts
Agree it would make a great gift but because of the butter content it will have a short shelf-life (a bit like home made lemon curd) – no more than 3 weeks in the fridge unopened, which is why I freeze it.
Alternatively, another great gift idea that will keep really well at room temp and looks especially pretty, are Moroccan preserved lemons. Just enter that in the search bar, top right of the blog. 🙂
Can you use a mixture of red and white onions for the jam? Never measured onions How many is 8 oz onions
Hi Nancy – 8 oz is approx 2 medium sized onions but the produce dept should have scales for weighing – and yes, I frequently make this with red onions as well – combining the two will work 😉
.Butter oh right Thanks the lemon preserves are a great gift idea Onion ham first Cheers
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