Now that we are into November, I can feel things ramping up, with Christmas not that far away. We are very busy with the cookery school and also with our chef’s table events. This is where Claire Beasley and I cook for between 12 and 20 people, and we love doing it.
I have two recipes today that make lovely presents. Everyone loves a homemade gift made with love and thoughtfulness. The apple and plum chutney goes well with pretty much any type of pâté, and most cold meats. It is also great with cheese or some leftover ham.
We serve this chutney in the restaurant with our Irish cheese selection – a blue cheese, a soft, creamy Brie-style cheese, a mature cheddar and a hard St Tola goat’s cheese from Inagh, Co Clare, where it is made by Siobhán Ní Gháirbhith.
This chutney is also delicious spread thickly under some bubbling toasted cheese. Plums give a nice tanginess, but you could use figs or dried apricots instead. Alternatively, you could make it with just apples.
Balsamic vinegar instead of the cider vinegar gives it a lovely, dark, rich colour. Cloves give a strong flavour, so you might prefer it with a little less, depending on your preference. I like this red onion marmalade with steak or with grilled chicken. I absolutely love the sweet and sour combination. We serve it in the restaurant on focaccia bread with goat’s cheese.
Onions are the foundation of a lot of recipes. For me, the most important thing is to have it tangy and not too sweet.
Ingredients: Makes about 450g
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
5 red onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp light brown sugar
200ml red wine
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan and cook the red onions on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned.
2 Stir in the garlic and sugar. Then pour in the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Cook gently for 35-40 minutes, until thickened and sticky, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3 Store the red onion marmalade in an airtight container in the fridge.
Ingredients: Makes about 2.7kg
900g plums
900g apples
450g onions, diced
450g sultanas
450g light brown sugar
550ml cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
Method
1 Halve and core the plums. Peel, core and chop the apples. Put the fruit into a large preserving pan, then add the onions, sultanas, brown sugar, cider vinegar, salt, spice, cloves and ginger. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 1 hour, until the chutney has nicely reduced and all the fruit is completely tender, stirring occasionally.
2 Leave to cool a little, then pack into warm sterilised jars.
3 Cover with a wax disc and seal when hot. It will keep, unopened, for 1 year. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use as required within a couple of weeks.
