Onion & Shallot Marmalade

Onions, when cooked over a very low heat for quite a long time, can be quite a sweet and comforting food.

The first time I tried to make a slow cooked onion spread, about 14 years ago, I burned it all up. It hadn't occurred to me that there was a lot of sugar in the onion that would be released as it cooked. Sadly, I threw away my first burnt attempt and tried again. After about four tries, I got it right, and have been making this ever since.

This time, I decided to add a shallot and some minced garlic. The flavors get really mellow as they cook down, meld with the olive oil, and give you a dish that tastes like it belongs in Provence. The flavors are sweet and savory all at once, which is my favorite combination.

This marmalade is super easy to make and can be used for a number of things: incorporated into a cooked veggie or meat dish (recipe to come later this week); as a topping for baked potatoes; a spread for toast or added to an egg scramble.

Onion & Shallot Marmalade

Ingredients:

• 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped into small, even pieces
• 1 medium Shallot, chopped into small even, pieces
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Method:

• Heat up a small saucepan over medium to high heat.
• Once pan is heated up, add olive oil.
• Put the onions, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper into the hot oil.
• Allow to stay on high heat for about 3 minutes, until the edges of the oil bubble.
• Stir the mixture and lower the heat to low.
• Keep on the low flame for up to an hour, stirring constantly.
• You'll know when it's ready when you see the onions slightly sticking together and looking nice and browned.

Serve on toast, baked potatoes or use as part of a meat or veggie roast.

Featured: The Fruit Guys

Hello There.

I just found out that my post for No-Cook Cranberry Relish was featured on The Fruit Guys' website.

What a nice way to end the year. They are deliver great fresh fruit to our office sometimes and it's always a pleasure when the delivery comes in.

Look into fresh fruit and veggie box deliveries in your area, it's totally worth it. You never know what you'll get in the box. The mystery contents can lead to some great off-the-cuff meals.

Hope you are enjoying this 363rd day of the year.

No-Cook Cranberry Relish...Woo Hoo!

I don't really like cranberry sauce.

But wait, that was before I found this excellent no-cook cranberry relish.

Well, it was back in 2001, I believe, when Gourmet (R.I.P.) published this very simple no-cook cranberry relish. I was dead set against it. In 2002, my friend and co-worker at the time, Heidi, said she had made this and was thrilled with the results. The taste, said Heidi, was tart and the texture was crunchy, not soggy.

I sat down and thought through the pros and cons of cranberries. It occurred to me that I've been drinking cranberry juice for years and loved it. The thought also crossed my mind, though, that all other ways that cranberries were ever presented to me did nothing for me, and even turned me against this particular berry.

But, I promised Heidi I'd make it. She was right. The relish is nothing like the canned cranberry (or fresh cranberry) sauce I'd previously eaten. And, so, this has become a standard in my Thanksgiving repertoire.

Wait, wait, there's even more. Every year, I get the ingredients to make this, and somehow have convinced myself of a few things from the previous year:

1. There are shallots and fresh ginger in the original recipe (there are not, but they are now featured in my version).
2. You have to cook this recipe. (Nope, just pop everything in the food processor and that's it!)
3. Everyone at my sister's table loves this relish. (Not so much, but a few of us do love it, while others just want the traditional version).

This relish gets better over a couple of days, so make it today and it will wow your guests on Thanksgiving.

No-Cook Cranberry Orange Relish

Recipe adapted from Epicurious (Gourmet magazine, 2001)

Ingredients:

• 1 navel orange
• 1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 small shallot, chopped coarsley
• 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Method:

• Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest from orange.
• Cut away and discard peel and pith from orange, then cut sections free from membranes.
• Pulse cranberries with zest, orange sections, sugar, cinnamon, shallots and ginger in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
• Chill, covered, at least 2 hours to allow flavors to develop.