Onion Jam: Savory Sweet Spread

This year seems to have been one of the harshest winters we've had in the U.S. in a long time. As I stare out at the winter tundra that is my backyard, it's hard to even imagine green grass growing, let alone fruits and vegetables.

As someone who lives in the cold, snowy north year round, it's hard to do a lot of canning and preserving when access to local, seasonal produce becomes extremely limited during the winter months. While I do freeze a lot of the fruit I pick over the summer to get us through the winter, I tend to use that fruit in baked goods or stirred into my morning oatmeal rather than in jams and jellies, which already have their own (very large) section in the pantry.

Still, there a few canning projects that are made for the winter - marmalades (like my margarita marmalade) are definitely one of them, and this onion jam is another, as even in the middle of winter, there are plenty of local onions to be had if you make friends with a few local farmers.

Still, onion jam sounds a little odd. Is it more savory, or more sweet? How do you use it? Well, I can promise you that it's completely delicious, and there are plenty of things to do with it. This jam is actually very versatile, and is perfect on a grilled cheese sandwich, a bagel with cream cheese - or, as one of my personal favorites, a pizza or flatbread topping along with pears, prosciutto, and gorgonzola.

Heck, you can stir it into risotto, serve it on top of grilled sausages or hot dogs, or jut set out a jar with a cheese and charcuterie tray for an easy appetizer. I'd love to hear about your favorite ways to use it!

Onion Jam Recipe

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds onion, sweet yellow or red, sliced
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, or thyme
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 3/4 ounces powdered pectin, (one package)

Directions

1. In a large sauce pan, combine the onions, vinegars, and wine. Toss in the sprigs of thyme or rosemary. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender. Remove the herbs and stir in the pectin. Bring to a boil. Stir in the sugars and let boil one minute longer. Remove the pot from the heat.
2. Prepare your canning supplies. Bring the temperature of the glass jars up by processing them in hot water for several minutes, and heat a few cups of water in a small saucepan for the lids.
3. Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Place the lids and bands on top, screwing on the bands just until fingertip-tight. Place the full jars back into the boiling water and process 15 minutes. Allow the jars to sit in the canner 5 minutes with the heat and lid off. Remove from the water and place the jars on a towel. Let the jars cool. The seals should suck down.

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The Pioneer Woman Review: Make Ahead Potluck

Perhaps The Pioneer Woman could come out with a spin off show called, "Cooking for Crowds" because that is quickly becoming her specialty... or perhaps it was all along.

She and Ladd do have four kids, after all, and that right there is an automatic crowd.

This week, Ree is cooking some make ahead Potluck dishes for her churches Sunday Potluck Dinner. Two things about this episode: the recipes look simple, but delicious and, the recipes can all be made the day before.

If you're bringing food to share at after a Sunday service, you would have to get up quite early in the morning in order to get it finished, so the fact these potluck recipes can all be made Saturday afternoon while, say, your husband weens some calves, makes them all the better.

Ree gets things kicked off with a huge pot of Potluck Meatballs. These meatballs start with ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, grated onion, parsley, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Ree forms the meatball mixture into walnut sized meatballs that she browns in a bit of olive oil and butter.

The meatballs get removed from the pan and Ree builds the sauce in the same pan that the meatballs browned in. The sauce is simple, yet savory, and made from Beef consume, beef broth tomato paste and brown mustard.

To add some thickness, Ree stirs in a slurry of corn starch and beef broth. The meatballs get returned to the pot and simmered in the sauce until cooked through. A simple reheating of the meatballs the next day is all they need to be ready for the potluck.

For a side and vegetable combination, Ree is making a Layered Salad, which is a classic potluck dish. While this layered salad recipe has a retro feel to it, it doesn't make it any less appealing.

In a large straight sided bowl, Ree layers in chopped ice berg lettuce, chunks of tomato, fresh spinach, chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped bacon, sliced green onions, grated sharp cheddar cheese, thawed green peas, and then the dressing that's simply mayonnaise, sour cream and a bit of sugar.

The dressing gets spread over the top of the peas and sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs. While this large salad isn't something that would fit on daily dinner menus, it has a nostalgic quality to it that fits perfectly in a church potluck dinner. Plus, it is basically a vertical Cobb salad recipe, minus the chicken. A smaller, less layered version would be great for a weeknight family dinner.

Blackberry Cheesecake Squares - Ree starts by crushing up vanilla wafers and pecans for the crust of the cheesecake squares and presses it into a foil lined 9x11 glass baking pan. The sweet vanilla wafers and nutty pecans sound fabulous as the base for these cheesecake squares.

The filling is made with cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream all whipped up in her trusty KitchenAide. The creamy mixture is spread over the crust and baked. Ree tops the baked cheesecake squares with a homemade blackberry sauce made from fresh raspberries, sugar and water. These cheesecake squares look heavenly and with the addition of the fresh berries, very special to share with the other church families on Sunday.

The topping for these cheesecake squares could easily be switched with different fruits, depending on what is in season and on hand.

This was an episode full of great recipes as well as small tips, like how to create perfect hard boiled eggs and how to jazz up a plain cheesecake crust, that are applicable to many entertaining situations, including, but not limited to, Ree's beloved potlucks.

Thank you for reading - and remember to visit our section of Pioneer Woman recipes!

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