River Cottage

Peel and thinly slice the onions and garlic. De-seed the chilli and slice.

Add a large knob of butter to your pan on a medium-low heat. Do not allow the butter to darken; when it starts to bubble, add the onions and stir.

Allow the onions to cook for 15-20 minutes on a medium-low heat until they become translucent. Add the chopped garlic and stir. Cook gently for a further 3 minutes. Do not allow your pan to get too hot at this stage as the onions will become crispy and the garlic will burn, giving your marmalade a bitter taste.

After three minutes, add the muscovado sugar to the pan and stir in thoroughly, coating all of the onions with sugar. As the sugar melts, the mixture should turn brown and become sticky.

With the onions evenly coated, you can now add the balsamic vinegar. Increase the pan to a high heat just before pouring in the vinegar, and stir your onions as you add the liquid. When your balsamic begins to bubble, reduce to a medium-low heat.

With your balsamic simmering, stir in the chopped chilli, paprika, nutmeg, crushed clove, and salt and pepper to taste. As the mixture begins to reduce, you can balance the flavours by adding more sugar or vinegar to the pan. You are looking for a perfect balance between a tangy initial flavour, and a sweet, spicy after-taste.

Gently cook away all of the residual liquid until you are left with a thick and sticky jam.�Place your cooked marmalade into a clean air-tight jam jar and seal. Allow the jar to cool to room temperature before storing the onion marmalade in your fridge. It can keep for several months and is delicious served hot or cold.