Sweet Onion Marmalade

This tangy, sweet onion marmalade is a wonderful condiment that can be used for a variety of meats, poultry, and fish or simply as a spread for sandwiches, breads, and appetizers. This easy-to-make sweet-tart onion jam is great with roasted lamb, chicken liver pate, a charcuterie board or even as a topping for pizza.

We chose yellow onions for this recipe because they are the most popular, and most readily available variety comprising more than 85% of the U.S. onion crop. They are also the best type of onion for caramelizing. Cooking brings out their nutty, mellow, often sweet, qualities when caramelized.

There are even some health benefits associated with this delicious jam as well. Onions are known to reduce inflammation and heal infections, while raw onions encourage the production of good cholesterol (HDL). Onions contain chromium, which helps regulate blood sugar and contain “quercetin,” a powerful compound that plays a significant role in preventing cancer. Phytochemicals in onions work with Vitamin C in the body to increase immunities.

Onion Marmalade
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan or skillet, add onions and salt, and sauté stirring frequently for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the onions are golden. Add the garlic and sugar, and cook while stirring for 5 more minutes. The point is to cook the mixture until it has achieved full jamminess. If the onions start to get too thick or stick to the pan, add a tablespoon or two of water. Allow the onions to really caramelize. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cool and serve.

Store unused portion in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you are making for gifts or to store for longer than a week, you should plan to hot pack in canning jars to prolong their shelf life.

Home Cooking with Georgia Grinders

Georgia produces 50% (or more) of the peanuts consumed in the entire nation, and for the first time in history, Georgia boasts its own peanut butter manufacturer. Jamie Foster, known for her NaturAlmond products, has recently launched her Georgia Grinders line of peanut and cashew butters. We had the privilege of attending a dinner at the home of the editor of Pretty Southern to try some amazing dishes prepared by Jamie using her all natural nut butters.

“Our nut butters are perfect for baking, making dips and sauces, churning homemade ice cream and pairing with different cheeses and jams. Depending on what you pair it with, the sweet or savory flavors in the nut butters emerge,” she says. Her true commitment to her products shines through as she chats with us through dinner. She reverently shares that each time she tastes her almond butter that she can feel the presence of her grandfather whose recipe she uses to painstakingly create each jar she makes.

We arrived to find medjool dates that had been stuffed with almond butter and goat cheese, wrapped in bacon, and a wheel of brie topped with jam and almond butter and baked in a puff pastry crust. Both were rich and flavorful with the butters lending the perfect complement to the other ingredients. Our entrée was baked filet of salmon with an almond butter and soy sauce glaze and panko sesame crust with an orzo salad with cashew butter dressing both of which were a fresh and unique twist on these classic dishes. For dessert we had a peanut butter chocolate chip cheesecake and a special after-dinner beverage that originated as a base for a peanut butter ice cream that didn’t quite set properly and the addition of Kahlua. For the record, I preferred it as a cocktail!

We all left with a jar of peanut butter and the recipes for the dishes we shared. I enjoyed the salmon so much, I thought I should share Jamie’s recipe with you all. I plan to try it at home and hope you will too.

1 ½ tablespoons NaturAlmond Almond Butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce (Jamie used Light soy sauce)
1 tablespoon mirin (seasoned rice wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 ½ lb. salmon filet(s)
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons almonds, chopped, sliced or slivered
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425°F before lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spraying with vegetable oil.

In a small bowl, combine almond butter, soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger, garlic and hot sauce until smooth. Immerse the salmon in the sauce and then place fish on the lined baking sheet. Spread a little more sauce over the top.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, chopped almonds, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the fish and bake just until fork tender, about for 12 – 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet(s).

While the food items we sampled were complimentary, we received no additional remuneration. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.

Grilled Green Tomatoes with Red Pepper Coulis and Goat Cheese

It is bound to happen. We've been growing tomatoes for years and it is inevitable that in the process of staking, pruning and tying them, you knock an unripe green orb to the ground. With as much work that goes into nurturing each baby tomato to maturity, it is maddening to think of wasting even one especially this early in the season. Sure, the typical Southern solution is to slice it and smother the slices in cornmeal and fry them up in lard and top them with pimento cheese, but we were looking for a lighter, healthier variation.

During the summer, we always seem to have a grill fired up and ready to go, so it was a no brainer to toss a few slices on the grill to see what might happen. Grilling always adds a nice smoky, caramelized flavor to vegetables and we were hoping that green tomatoes would be no different. And, man-o-man were we right! The grill softens the under ripe flesh and concentrates the natural sugars.

As for the pimento cheese which is THE ultimate complement to green tomatoes, we took the two main components (red peppers and cheese) and added lighter versions of those as well.

3 large green, unripe tomatoes
3 large red bell peppers, roasted
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon champagne or white balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat or heat a grill pan over medium-high.

Roast the red peppers directly over the flame of the grill or under the broiler, turning occasionally, until the peppers are blackened all over. Place the peppers in a sturdy plastic bag, seal the bag and let the peppers steam as they cool.

While the peppers are cooling, brush both sides of the tomato slices with olive oil and grill until softened and lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side.

Peel the peppers and discard the skins, seeds and cores. Coarsely chop the peppers. In a food processor, combine the peppers with the olive oil, shallot and vinegar and puree in a food processor until very smooth. Season the coulis with salt and pepper.

(Cook's note: we used white pepper rather than black so as not to discolor the coulis. Black pepper is perfectly fine to use instead. )

To serve, ladle coulis on the serving plate and lay the grilled tomatoes over the plated sauce. Top the grilled tomatoes with crumbled goat cheese and prepare yourself for a taste sensation.