All posts tagged: jam

Homemade Red Onion Marmalade

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As a vegetarian, I eat a very varied diet. Not only is that a good thing, ensuring I get all the nutrients needed, but it also makes me happy. I couldn’t eat the same thing every day. But having a few preserves on hand to brighten up a sandwich, pop into a tart recipe, or add to other dishes, really does make a lot of difference in the flavour department. As I work from home most of the time, that means I eat from home most of the time. So I like to have a fridge full of ingredients that I can whip up fast into something tasty for lunch, without having to drive into town to pick things up. This Red Onion Marmalade is up there with the best preserves I’ve made, sweet sticky and perfect with a ploughman’s lunch, a slice of quiche or topped on crisp bread.   Red Onion Marmalade Makes 4-5 x 370g jars 2kg red onions   4 garlic cloves, minced  150g butter  160g golden caster sugar  1 tbsp fresh thyme leaf   375ml …

Doce de Abóbora – Sweet Portugese Pumpkin Jam

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For two years in a row now, I’ve spent time during the summer in Portugal. I love it there. Its warm and colourful and the air is fragrant and inviting with aromas of barbecued sardines and pine needles. The apartment we stay in is nestled into rough cliffs that look directly out over the Atlantic Ocean and at night I used to sit and gaze at the fishermen fishing for squid using giant floodlights whilst balancing in tiny boats. In the early morning watching the colours reappear onto the coast, we would enjoy a simple breakfast of chewy Portuguese bread and Doce de Abóbora –  Sweet Pumpkin Jam. In the UK, pumpkins aren’t widely used, so I was keen to start using this highly cultivatable fruit in the kitchen and when I returned home, I found a Pumpkin Jam recipe here http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/pumpkin-jam-recipe-7050/ on a sweet smallholder blog that is very inspiring to anyone going down the self-sufficient route. I have adapted the recipe to suite my pallet by using Cinnamon and Vanilla instead of Ginger, …