Sunday, September 1, 2013

Caramelized Onion Relish for A Labour Day #SundaySupper (Toast Topper #28)

Happy Labour Day! Our family at home never does much in the way of celebrating the last long weekend of the Summer, given that it's almost exclusively raining or boiling hot that weekend (this year: raining) and we don't know our neighbours so having a neighbourhood shindig is not in the cards. Half the time, someone in the family is working on the Sunday, and since everyone has to go back to work and/or school on the Tuesday you know nobody is having family driving in from all over for a BBQ dinner. This year, our household is actually making two "Sunday Supper" like meals on the weekend instead of grilling anything - tonight sees the re-appearance of  my stepbrother's favourite Double - Lemon Roast Chicken, while Monday Mom is roasting a prime rib she got for free during a crazy grocery store promotion over 6 months ago and never got around to cooking.

That said, just because my "home family" is Labour Day apathetic doesn't mean my "foodie family" is - and for this week's #SundaySupper I'm even jumping on the BBQ-friendly bandwagon. I found this sweet, savoury, chunky condiment in a copy of The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving that I borrowed from the library, and couldn't wait to give it a go - caramelized onions, as I'm sure you're aware, are worth their weight in gold on (or in) pretty much anything you can think of. This elegant "relish" (I consider it so much more than that) was originally written with just "onions", but I amped the sugar caramelization factor by using Vidalias, slowly cooked with sliced garlic, a touch of brown sugar and syrupy balsamic vinegar. Of course, I had to add some booze to the mix (like I mentioned to Sue, people are going to start wondering about me - I can't drink FWIW!), and given that both red wine and cognac pair well with beef (I'm imagining grilled striploin) and potatoes (yes, this would make killer taters), they both found their way into the pot. This was actually a perfect use for my mom and stepdad's homemade wine, which was "okay" to drink (they preferred / kept receiving other bottles) and actually improved over the slow cooking process. Come to think of it, this condiment may in fact make an appearance tomorrow night - burgers or no!

This week's Labour Day #SundaySupper is being hosted (with many thanks) by DB (aka Foodie Stuntman) of Crazy Foodie Stunts.

Here's the list of Labour Day love!

Refreshing Drinks

Amazing Appetizers and Sides

Enviously Good Entreés

Delicious Desserts

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here.

Caramelized Onion Relish

Caramelized Onion Relish
Makes 3 cups, 12 (1/4 cup) servings
2 tbsp salted butter
2 large sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
¼ cup dark brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup red wine (not the cheapest, not breaking the bank - ENOFYLZ Wine Blog could probably help you out with a specific kind!)
2 tbsp cognac (we had this on hand)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (use something you'd put on salad, but no need to go 20 years + aged)
generous pinch Kosher salt
pinch black pepper
  1. Melt butter in a large pot and add the onions and sugar.
  2. Cook, uncovered,over medium high heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally - the onions will be beginning to caramelize.
  3. Stir in the garlic, wine, cognac and vinegar.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often.
  5. Add salt and pepper, then spoon into jars and process in a waterbath for 30 minutes.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 70.4
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 5.2 mg
Sodium: 18.4 mg
Total Carbs: 9.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
Protein: 0.4 g

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for the feedback!