Here's my Onion Confit recipe.
This is a much loved family favourite and we adore it on baguette with soft cheese, with meats and roasts of all kinds, on a Ploughmans platter, with crackers on a cheese board, or with oven roasted salmon. Cooking it is a special guilty pleasure as it scents the house with the most amazing earthy aromas.
Buy up onions of any kind when they're cheap and do big batches of this to keep on hand.
You need 4 decent sized (about 250gm) washed and sterilized jars for this amount.
Note: you can also prepare this in the slow cooker, by adding 125gms of butter to encourage caramelising, but it does render a slightly softer and not quite as aromatic, result. Given the choice I'd do it on the stovetop. In my older slow cooker, six hours on high and six on low was about right.
1 kg onions (different onions give a different result. Try red, eschallots, pickling onions or brown ones)
2 tablespoons oil
250 gms sugar
300 mls vinegar (different vinegars will also give a slightly different result in colour and flavour, so try balsamic, white, apple cider, sherry or even red or white wine or sparkling wine)
3 tablespoons honey or golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg and cinnamon
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Peel and slice the onions thinly. A mandolin slicer will make very quick work of this step.
Heat a large frypan over a medium heat and slow cook the onion until it's limp, about 5 minutes.
Add the other ingredients and mix well.
Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring regulary to prevent sticking for one hour.
Cover the pan and continue to cook over a very low heat for a minimum of 45 minutes but up to several hours depending upon the depth of flavour and the consistency you're after, stirring regularly. I have simmered mine virtually all day on a very very low heat, and after 10-12 hours, they are divine.
The confit is ready when there is not liquid and the onion has been reduced to a chunky paste.
Spoon into sterilised jars and refrigerate.
Keeps for up to six months.
You need 4 decent sized (about 250gm) washed and sterilized jars for this amount.
Note: you can also prepare this in the slow cooker, by adding 125gms of butter to encourage caramelising, but it does render a slightly softer and not quite as aromatic, result. Given the choice I'd do it on the stovetop. In my older slow cooker, six hours on high and six on low was about right.
1 kg onions (different onions give a different result. Try red, eschallots, pickling onions or brown ones)
2 tablespoons oil
250 gms sugar
300 mls vinegar (different vinegars will also give a slightly different result in colour and flavour, so try balsamic, white, apple cider, sherry or even red or white wine or sparkling wine)
3 tablespoons honey or golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg and cinnamon
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Peel and slice the onions thinly. A mandolin slicer will make very quick work of this step.
Heat a large frypan over a medium heat and slow cook the onion until it's limp, about 5 minutes.
Add the other ingredients and mix well.
Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring regulary to prevent sticking for one hour.
Cover the pan and continue to cook over a very low heat for a minimum of 45 minutes but up to several hours depending upon the depth of flavour and the consistency you're after, stirring regularly. I have simmered mine virtually all day on a very very low heat, and after 10-12 hours, they are divine.
The confit is ready when there is not liquid and the onion has been reduced to a chunky paste.
Spoon into sterilised jars and refrigerate.
Keeps for up to six months.
Ingredients:
1 litre vodka...cheap is fine
12 organic or home grown lemons (spray free)
For the sugar syrup used later:
4 cups sugar
6 cups water
Equipment:
Large open mouthed jar with airtight lid. A spaghetti storage jar with a swing top lid is ideal.
Sharp vegetable peeler
Saucepan for making sugar syrup
Method:
Peel the yellow peel from the lemons, being careful not to get any of the white pith as it will make the limoncello bitter. Pile these into the jar, and add the vodka. Leave in a cool, dark place for 14 days, giving the mix a swirl every couple of days. The liquid will gradually turn yellow and the peel will fade.
After 14 days, strain the mixture through a clean, damp Chux or some muslin, into a large bowl or jug.
Make the sugar syrup by bringing the 6 cups of water to a simmer and adding the 4 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved and allow to cool.
Add the cooled sugar syrup to the lemon vodka, and mix well.
Rebottle as desired. You can put in a little extra vodka at this point if you like. This will increase your yield, but I would only do it to top up bottles, not to dilute it or you will lose the flavour.
You can then make a super cute label using a fancy font and clip art.
I glued mine to the bottles with Decoupage Glue. I then pasted a torn piece of white tissue wrap over it to give it that hand made look.
My bottles were sourced through eBay, but many of the discount stores and home brew suppliers have suitable containers.
The longer you leave the Limoncello, the smoother it becomes. I have a 5 litre flagon of it on the go now. A bit of an outlay up front, but it's for my sons' wedding next year, along with a few gifts in between.
This recipe works equally well with limes, blood oranges or valencias.