Caramelised onions and chutney remind me just as much of Christmas as mince pies and cranberry sauce do. This recipe is a little more indulgent than your usual Branston, but super simple to make and perfect for leftover toasties or the Christmas cheeseboard.
Makes 2-3 Bon Maman sized jam jars worth, depending on the size of your onions.
It'll take about an hour to make, too.
You'll need:
8 red onions
1 red chilli
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
200g brown sugar
150ml balsamic
150ml red wine vinegar
Here's how you make it:
Slice your onions and chilli into thin strips. Pop your saucepan onto a nice, low heat and add in your oil. Take your onions, chilli, bay leaves and a little pinch of salt and fry it all gently in a pan for around 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, to make sure they're not burning.
Whilst they're softening, you'll need to sterilise your jars. This is dead easy; take whatever clean glass jars you want to use for the chutney, wash them (and their lids) well in soapy water that's as hot as your hands can bare, then pop them in an oven at 120 degrees for 10 or so minutes. When taking the jars and lids out of the oven, be careful not to put your hand/cloth/oven mitt inside the jar, as that will contaminate them again and you'll have to start the whole process all over. Pop to the side on some spare paper for filling later.
Once the onions are nice and broken down and caramelised, add in your two vinegars and your sugar. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or so, until the whole thing is a thick and delicious smelling mix. Pop into the jars you sterilised and allow the mix to cool before popping the lids on.
Like this recipe? It goes great with our Cheddar and Rosemary Crackers! Find the recipe and others for DIY gift giving here.