Onion Chutney with Red Wine

Have you ever made chutney at home?  Chut what?    Chutney is a condiment used in South Asian cuisines that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.  Vinegar or citrus juice are usually used as preservatives.  The texture of chutney could range from coarse to fine; it can also be wet or dry.  If you haven’t make chutney before, you might want to read on and check this recipe out.



There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe and the good news is, you might already have everything in your pantry.  It takes a while to cook down the onions but the process is super straight forward.  Believe it or not, the most you need to do are just some chopping and stirring, that's about it.  The stove top and time will work the "magic" for you.  Oh, and tasting at the end, and perhaps do some "ooo-ing" and "arr-ing" when you're surprised by how tasty these simple ingredients can turned out.  Really, nothing too complicated and the end result is unbelievably irresistible.  Just keep in mind, your patience will be rewarded.  
   


I got some beautiful chilies from my In-Law’s garden and they were perfect for this recipe.  The heat from the chilies balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the onions.  You can also substitute the chillies with a Jalapeno if you like.  I love the flavor that are combined from the bay leaves and fresh thyme.  They were earthy and fresh; a great compliment to each other.  The dry red wine added the depth of flavor to the chutney.  The combination is really magical and tasty.

Guess what?  I’m adding this wonderful recipe to my Christmas homemade gift-giving list.    Since this recipe only yields about 3 cups, which fits into 2 or 3 jars depending on the size of the jars.  You might want to double or even triple this recipe up when you are canning them for gift-giving.  I can't believe Christmas is only two months from now, time really flies.



How did I enjoy the chutney?  Here’s what I did….I spread my favorite creamy cheese on a piece of cracker, and pile high with these Onion Chutney with Red Wine on top.  It’s the perfect two-bite appetizer.  You can use goat cheese, herbed cheese or anything you preferred.  I can imagine this chutney would be a lovely addition on top of some creamy soup as well.  Before I go blend up the soup, I need to hurry up and submit this recipe to Kitchen PLAY.   


The National Onion Association is also sponsoring a wonderful giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total).  The deadline is October 31, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!  Thank you Jamie, from My Baking Addition, for the inspiration for this recipe.

Hope you will try this recipe out and let me know what you think.  







Onion Chutney with Red Wine Printable Recipe
Yield: 3 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 chilies, I used 1 green and 1 red, finely diced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 dry red wine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the onions and shallots followed by salt and pepper.  Toss the onions slices so the salt and pepper distributed evenly.  The salt will help the onions to sweat out.  Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on low heat. 

When the onions are soften, add the chilies, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, dry red wine, brown sugar, bay leaf and thyme leaves.  Stir the ingredients to ensure everything is well mixed.  Simmer on low uncover, for another hour to hour and a half, until no liquid remains.  Stir occasionally during the first hour of cooking. 

In the last 15 minutes, stir more frequently to prevent the onions from burning.  Allow chutney to cool slightly before storing into jars or airtight containers. Refrigerate when the chutney is completely cooled.




This recipe is shared with:

Tuesday Talent Show
Mingle Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
On The Menu Monday
Success U
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
I'm Lovin' It
Friday Favorite
MomTrend Friday Food
Sweets For Saturday
Everyday Sister Sharing Sunday

Meyer Lemon Curd With Vanilla Sugar

As I was planning for my Baby Girl’s Birthday, I couldn’t resist but to incorporate something refreshing into the cake.   Here’s a little sneak peek on what went into her birthday cake, and I made some more as party favors for guests to take home.  My latest creation—Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar.  I’ll post the picture of Baby Girl’s birthday cake on my next post, I promise.  But let’s talk about this Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar first.



I have a jar, a huge jar actually, of Vanilla Sugar in my pantry that I have been using for baking.  It’s easy to make the vanilla sugar.  Simply split some vanilla beans in half (length wise), scrape the seeds out and snuggle the pods and the seeds into a jar of regular granulated sugar.  Just make sure the pods are covered by the sugar.  Let it sit for at least a few weeks before using.  The sugar is infused and perfumed by the fragrant and sweet scent of the vanilla beans.  As I used up the vanilla sugar in my baking, I refilled the jar with more sugar and add another vanilla bean every once in a while if necessary.  It’s wonderful and adds a lot more flavor to the baked goods. 



Why did I choose Vanilla Sugar instead of regular sugar in this recipe?  Because I ran out of regular sugar on the day I needed to make the Lemon Curd!  LOL….But what a lovely and tasty mishap!  This Meyer Lemon Curd turned out with another depth of flavor like a little surprise.  It certainly add a layer of sweetness without adding more sugar.  You can even see the little vanilla seed in the curd and it smells wonderful.



Simply spread the curd on a slice of bread and it’s the perfect breakfast or afternoon pick me up.  Here’s a simple white bread recipe that yields the most soft and fluffy loaf of bread if you miss that post from the past.  If you have some Lemons or Meyers Lemons on hand, make some Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar.  You’ll love what you created.

This Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar is perfect for gift-giving for the Holiday Season.  I'm submitting this to The Holiday Recipe Exchange.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Beanilla.

Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups Vanilla Sugar
Zest of 3 Meyer Lemons
5 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup Meyer lemon juice (around 3 Meyers lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter, vanilla sugar and Meyer lemon zests until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

In a 2 quart saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until thickened (around 8 to 10 minutes), stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.  Store in air tight containers and refrigerate.
 
*Note: Since Meyer Lemons are not as tart as regular lemons, you might want to add a bit more sugar or cut down on the amount of lemon juice in this recipe if you are using regular lemons.


This recipe is linked to:

Melt in your mouth Monday
On the Menu Monday
Wandering Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
Fresh Food Friday
I'm Lovin' It
Home Made Gift Ideas Linky Party