An Easy Recipe

Onion chutney on a round slice of French bread with just the right pate and pickled dill is a tasty delight as a starter or snack.

Onion chutney is unusual that its sweetness is balanced with a tartness that keeps the taste buds guessing and the food quickly eaten.

The texture of the onion jams can vary from coarse cut, which are especially attractive when used for red onion chutney recipes, to a more finely cut marmalade like appearance depending on the method of onion chopping.

These onion jam recipes will may also give you a different perspective on the use of chutney in cooking as it tastes great hot with duck or lamb.

Onion Chutney ingredients and cooking method:

Onion Chutney ingredients

Serves 4.
Makes about ½ a pint

500 grams of onion
(red or white cooking onions)
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
(add more if necessary)
100 ml of red wine
(A lighter wine for preference)
1 tablespoon of marmalade.
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoon of brown sugar
(You can use honey just add a little more)
Vinegar - a splash according to taste,
(red, white apple or malt)
Salt

Remove the outer skins and cut away the root. Cut the onions as fine as you want coarse for red onion chutney or finer for an onion jams consistency.

Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large pan and add over a little olive oil. This helps a bit to prevent the butter from burning.

When it bubbles, add the bay leaves and put half of the onion in the pan, sprinkle evenly with the sugar and the salt before adding the rest of the onion.

Turn a few times and allow to cook gently for about 15 minutes uncovered. Turn the ingredients frequently to avoid burning as any burnt onion will transfer its bitterness to the whole batch.

Cover and allow to cook another 15 minutes or so until the onions are soft. I add the dessert spoon of marmalade here.

Add a good splash of vinegar and the red wine, stir this well and allow the alcohol to cook off. Taste and add more salt or sugar if necessary.

If you add more of any of the ingredients just remember to allow it to cook a little longer to reduce until it resembles marmalade.

It can be preserved in pickling jars when cooled a little or eaten straight away. It should keep for up to 3 weeks.

What does onion confiture taste of?

I would term Onion chutney as more like a pickle than a jam. It goes well with hot and cold meats like duck and lamb.

Onion chutney can be very sweet but doesn't have to be.

The perfect onion confit has the right balance of salt, sugar and tartness from the vinegar.
No one taste should dominate yet one should notice the sweet lemony flavour is balanced by its saltiness
It should look like a type of thick marmalade and the onions should not have kept their firmness or crispness.

What’s the difference between onion chutney, an onion jam and an onion confiture?

I have included onion jam, Onion confiture and onion chutney as the same recipe. They are in fact all similar and all refer to this onion chutney recipe.
I have listed the main characteristics below:

What is a chutney?

Generally these chutneys are fruit, vinegar, and sugar cooked down to a reduction. They can be wet or dry.

What is a jam?

The term jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. The fruit is heated with water and sugar to activate the pectin in the fruit.

What is a Confit?

Confit, which is the past participle form of the French verb "confire" or "to preserve", is most often applied to preservation of meats, however, the term can also refer to fruit or vegetables which have been seasoned and cooked with honey or sugar until it has reached a jam-like consistency

Other names for onion chutney

[onion jam], [onion chutney], "onion jam", "onion chutney", onion confiture, caramelised onion chutney recipe, spicy onion chutney, sweet onion chutney recipe, red onion chutney recipes, caramelized onion chutney and caramelised onion chutney.

More recipes - Experiment and enjoy!