RED ONION AND PINK PEPPERCORN MARMALADE

1 kg red onions (halved and then thinly sliced)
200 g marmalade (I had a bottle of Rose’s sweet orange & rooibos which nobody liked, so I used it)
300 ml red wine (I used a good dry red; if it is not good enough to drink it is not good enough for the food – a Merlot with soft tannins is perfect)
100 ml red wine vinegar (I had brown grape vinegar in the house and used that)
15 ml wholegrain mustard (I used mustard seeds which are also perfect as they give the flavour and the crunch)
30 ml brown sugar
125 ml dried cranberries (or golden sultanas/raisins)
10 ml pink peppercorns (or more to taste, they are quite mild in flavour, not at all like black or white peppercorns)
pinch of dried chilli flakes if you want a bit more bite, optional
25 ml olive oil

Slice onions lengthwise and then slice into half rings (thin slices).
Fry in olive oil until becoming transparent. Add sugar, cranberries/raisins/sultanas, peppercorns and chilli flakes if used.
Gently fry until it starts caramelising.
Add the wine and vinegar and cook until the onions are soft and the cranberries/raisins/sultanas are plump and juicy.
Scoop the onions out, leaving all the juices behind and add the marmalade to this liquid.
Gently cook and stir until the sauce thickens up a bit.
Add the onions to the pot again, stir well to combine and scoop into sterilised warm glass jars and seal with screw lids.
Once complete cool store in fridge.
Give the marmalade about a week for the flavours to develop and infuse before you start using it.
Depending on the size of the onions this yields approximately two small (400 ml) bottles.

Recipe and photo: Elsabie Templeton