Sweet Chili Jam
Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day, and enjoying a nice bbq with friends and family (I know I am!). I have gone waay too far with my menu today – lamb burgers with pickled cukes, some shrimp cakes, grilled corn, roasted potato salad, spiced grilled shitakes, a big green salad with cherry tomatoes and asparagus, pineapples soaked in orange liqueur, and a great pitcher of rum punch…
As promised, here’s the chili jam I use (on basically everything…) on my lamb burgers. Sweet, spicy, tart, and jammy…a beautifully versatile condiment that is soooo easy to make. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Yields approximately 3 cups
2-3 tbsp oil
3 medium white onions, thinly sliced (~2 lbs)
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
10 red fresno chilies or combination red fresno / red finger chilies, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried bay leaf
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
Salt to taste
Procedure
In a medium-sized pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and a bit of salt and cook slowly to caramelize, about 25 to 30 minutes. You don’t want the onions to brown quickly but rather develop a caramel color as they soften and sweeten, so keep the heat at about medium-low and stir at intervals.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring up to a boil for 5 minutes, covered. Lower to a simmer for another 25 minutes, removing the lid and stirring for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking.
Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick and process in a food processor to a jam-like texture.