THE RETURN OF THE RAVISHING RED ONION RELISH

I've whipped out another classic Christmas chutney recipe for you now with the return of my deliciously sticky and sweet caramelized red onion chutney. It's makes an amazing foodie gift to give to your friends and family. One thing to remember is that this onion relish is for life not just for a Christmas so keep some for yourself to spread on bacon butties or hot dogs throughout the whole year. This recipe will give you 1.5 litres worth of the gooey good stuff, just make sure you have the patience to let it brew for 1 month before digging in.

 As you will see below, I've used fenugreek seeds in my relish as I find that their slight bitterness really compliments all the sweetness of the red onions, sugar and balsamic. I understand this might not be something you have in your cupboards so if you don't have any or can't get your hands on any you can replace it with some black mustard seeds, fennel seeds or maybe even some cumin seeds if you want to give it a slight curry like twist.

The chili is also optional. If you don't want any spiciness to your relish you can leave it out or if you really want it too pack a punch, throw in a few extra ones to really ramp up the heat. I'd try and buy the best quality balsamic and red wine vinegar you can as well. The quality of the relish really does depend on the quality of your ingredients so try not to skimp and you will really taste the difference.

 Ready? Let's get too it then. Try to chop those onions as thin as possible with the odd chunk thrown in now and then to add some texture. Wear some googles or sunglasses if you plan to do this by hand; your eyes will thank you for it!

Red Onion Chutney

10 Chopped Medium Red Onions
3 Grated Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Finely Chopped Chili
3 Bay Leaves
200g Light Brown Sugar
175ml Balsamic Vinegar
175ml Red Wine Vinegar

1. Add the onions into a large oiled pan along with the garlic, fenugreek seeds, paprika, chili and bay leaves and fry until the onions are soft and sticky. Stir regularly to prevent any onions catching on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add in the sugar, balsamic and red wine vinegar if using and stir until everything is well combined and then bring to a boil before simmering for around 30 minutes until the chutney becomes thick and dark in color.

Transfer your red onion chutney whilst it's still warm into sterilized jars and then seal nice and tight. Leave it for one month to let the chutney brew away so that it becomes all dark, sticky and delicious. When it's ready, dish out the relish into smaller jars and gift them to all your friends and family or you could be completely selfish and keep it all for yourself  to tuck into with your cheese board or on a Boxing Day cold turkey butty! It's the chutney gift that keeps on giving as you can still be using it on burgers at your summer BBQ. You will really relish this ravishing red onion relish!