onion jam? no sugar...this is a savory dish

it is mad stash week at fall fest...everyone else's posts will be about ways to use up the last bit of summer and/or fall produce...canning, freezing, drying etc. i have a bit of a different situation. i am opposite everyone today because all of our fruit trees ripen in fall and winter. and, since i use all of the produce in products for napa farmhouse 1885, i will be spending the next six months harvesting fruit and making preserves. figs are in season now...so the past month has been focused on picking, chopping and processing them into our fig & grand marnier jam. the minute figs are done, the persimmons are ready...they go into our persimmon jam, our persimmon & jalapeño jam and our farmhouse chutney. it seems like the day i pick the last persimmon, the oranges are at their peak and it is on to orange & ginger marmalade...need i go on? because meyer lemons and limes are next in the order.

so, while much of the country is taking a gardening break due to bad weather, my season continues year round. my "mad" stash...was not so mad...it was slow...easy. my csa boxes were delicious each week...but sometimes contained a bit too much for us to eat (and we ate a ton of veggies all summer). i froze some...canned some....gave some away. i decided to share with you today my favorite way to use extra onions...and we got a lot of onions, garlic and shallots all summer. how about onion jam, a wonderful, versatile condiment.?

we had friends over for dinner last saturday and i wanted to make a bunch of "cleanse friendly" dishes that tasted so good no one would know they were amazingly good for you. i noticed i had onions, garlic and shallots in the pantry that needed to be used immediately. onion jam with crackers (wheat free), bruschetta (not for me, unfortunately ,until this cleanse is over) and assorted crudités were the perfect selection of appetizers...

this jam lasts for a week or so in the fridge..and can be frozen for up to three months with good results. mad stash worthy? i think so...

spicy caramelized onion & garlic jam
2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt
pepper

add 1/4 cup e.v.o.o. to large sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat until warm. add the onion, shallots and garlic. stir ingredients, cover pan and reduce heat to low. cook for 5 minutes. remove cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours, stirring frequently. the onions should be very soft, brown and caramelized when you are finished.

add the jalapeño, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt & pepper and continue cooking over very low heat for 20 minutes.

add onion jam to a food processor or blender and pulse 5-6 times. you want the jam to have some texture...not too smooth.

serve with bruschetta, crackers, crudités, on a roast beef or roast pork sandwich, added to a grilled cheese panini...you will find many uses for this delicious condiment

now it is your turn to participate in fall fest. simply leave your mad stash tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below, and then go visit the collaborators listed on the blog away to garden and do the same.

the cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. yes, copy and paste them everywhere! that way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. everyone benefits, and some pretty great dialog starts simmering.

always...much thanks to margaret roach and deb puchalla for coordinating fall fest 2010. as always...its been a blast.

best and happy cooking!
diane

diane padoven
founder/president
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