Onion Confit
Since I was on a hunt for onion jams, I found this recipe for an onion confit on a gardening forum but it references the newer volume of my small batch book, Put a Lid on it! as an adaptation of their sweet onion relish. This is a Caramelized Red Onion Relish from Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard (2001). However, keep reading below for more info about canning onions with a similar recipe 🙂
- 2 large red onions — peeled and very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Combine onions and brown sugar in heavy nonstick pan. Cook, uncovered over med.-high heat about 25 minutes or until onions turn golden and start to caramelize. Stir frequently.
- Stir in wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes until most of the liquid had evaporated. Stir frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Ladle in clean hot jam jars, leaving 1/2″ head space. Wipe the rims, assemble the lids and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes 2 cups.
According to Doris and Jilly Cook, the Onion and Rosemary Confiturra by Serious Eats tastes incredible but if you want to preserve a low- to moderate-acid onion confit, pressure can the jars at 10 pounds for 15 minutes. Their recipe is as follows (volume unknown at this time but I will report back). I’ve copied it here because the site failed to open the first time round and I didn’t want to loose it for next year:
- 3 pounds peeled and trimmed onions (yellow, white, red, or a mix), which is about 10 cups
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 long, full branches with the leaves tied in a cheesecloth
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 to 4 tsp pickling salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup sugar
- Cut the onions in half and slice them thinly crosswise; you should have about 10 heaping cups of onions.
- Heat the oil in a heavy 5 or 6-quart stock pot with a tight-fitting lid and add the onions, turning them over repeatedly in the oil to coat them. Add the rosemary and bay leaves, burying them in the onions. Season the onions with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook the onions for 15 to 20 minutes, until they have softened and released their liquid, and the rosemary has wilted.
- Remove the lid and add the vinegars, wine, honey, and sugar, stirring well. Season the mixture with 1 more teaspoon of salt and a few more grinds of black pepper. Maintain the heat at a steady simmer and continue to cook the onions for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, stirring the mixture often with a wooden spoon.
- When the liquid has reduced by about half, pick out and remove the rosemary stems and bay leaves and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Taste the confiturra and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- As the liquid continues to reduce, you must be careful to keep stirring to prevent the confiturra from scorching. Continue cooking the mixture until it is soft, sticky, and moves from the bottom of the pan as you stir Be careful not to let it caramelize.
- Ladle in clean hot jam jars, leaving 1/2″ head space. Wipe the rims, assemble the lids and process in a pressure canner for 15 minutes at 10lb of pressure, as per the goat’s directions (aka Doris and Jilly).
