I love jam. I also love chutneys, butters, and pretty much any fruit or vegetable cooked down and chock full of flavor. Made sweet or savory, it really doesn’t matter. My new favorite appetizer, absolutely perfect for any season, is this sun-dried tomato onion jam, which I made a batch of last weekend.
The prep is easy and the onions pretty much do all the work themselves. First, three onions get thinly sliced and placed in a large saute pan with butter, sugar, salt and pepper.
They simmer there for about 30 minutes, stirred occasionally, while you do something else like check your email, read a book, or simply enjoy some peace and quiet. Pretty soon they start to look lightly golden.
You’ll then add some wine, vinegar and chopped sun-dried tomatoes (recipe calls for dried apricots but I didn’t have any).
Give the jam another 30 minutes or so to do its magic and thicken up.
After you let it cool, it’s ready to store or enjoy. I put mine in a jam jar – seemed to make the most sense.
We devoured the jam later that night with chevre from the Del Ray Farmer’s Market on a toasted baguette from Del Ray Cafe — the perfect end to a delightful Del Ray weekend.
Slightly sweet, but rich and savory, the jam also works as a condiment. I’ve enjoyed it every day this week on a chicken sandwich for lunch. I bet it would be awesome on a burger as well.
