Onion Marmalade ( Chutney) Recipe

This chutney recipe is a little bit different. The consistency is like sticky marmalade but if you make it to sell it through a Country Market (what was WI Markets) you have to call it chutney.

The recipe was given to me by a lady who makes chutney for a living and originally needed 10lb of onions, needless to say I divided by 4! I've made it several times using ordinary onions but for a change decided to use some of the red ones we have grown and red wine vinegar too.

2 and half pound onions ( Red or normal). Peeled
2 tablespoons salt
Three-quarters pint of white distilled vinegar ( or red wine vinegar if using red onions)
Teaspoon of cloves tied in a square of muslin
2lb white sugar
2tsp caraway seeds


Slice onions thinly ( food processor or mandolin slicer)
Put into a couple of colanders and mix a tablespoon of salt into each. Then leave to drain for an hour.
Rinse salt off and leave to drain again. Then tip onto a clean tea towel and pat dry.
Put the vinegar and sugar into the preserving pan, tie the muslin bag of cloves to the handle of the pan so its in the vinegar ( this is so you can find it easily later) and bring slowly to the boil stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for a few minutes.
Add the onion and caraway seeds.
Bring back to the boil then simmer until it turns thick and sticky with only a little loose liquid.
Using a slotted spoon and a jam funnel, put the sticky onion mixture into the( sterilized) jars almost to the top. Then pour whats left of the liquid in the pan into a jug and use it to top up each jar. Pour some boiling water over a knife to sterilize it and wiggle it about in each jar to get rid of air bubbles. Screw lids on tight and label.  Keeps well but is probably best eaten within a year. I've got some 3 years old which is still OK.

 On the right hand side of the plate is some of the 3 year old which was made with ordinary onions and white vinegar ( or maybe cider vinegar, I cant remember). The spoon full on the left is today's red onion from the half jar. There is a bit too much loose liquid as I tipped the final bit into this jar. We will use this up first.

I have found it not really necessary to do the salting, rinsing and draining thing as I seemed to get bits of onion everywhere. I think it means that you just have to cook for a little while longer to cook off the liquid. I also seem to get everything sticky when I make it too.

This doesn't make a lot but is good if you want to try something a bit different.