IF YOU LIKE CARAMELIZED ONIONS, YOU MUST TRY this relish. It is sweet (but not saccharine), substantive, and smooth. I like to eat it with a creamy goat cheese or freshly made ricotta. It’s also, great on pizza in place of the tomato sauce. Once you have this one on your pantry shelf, you’ll soon find that you’ll be putting it on everything. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 to 5 large red onions, sliced into thin half-moons (about 10 cups/1.2 kg)
1 cup/200 g (packed) brown sugar
1 cup/240 ml apple cider vinegar
½ cup/120 ml malt vinegar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Prepare a boiling water bath and 3 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large, nonreactive and add the onions. Cook until the onions are golden and fragrant, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced.
Ladle the relish into the prepared jars. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined counter-top to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes (see page 11).
When the processing time is up, remove the canning pot from the heat and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes. This helps to prevent the relish from reacting to the rapid temperature change and bubbling out of the jars.
