Red Onion Marmelade

Ingredients

2 kg red onions (or regular), halved and thinly sliced.
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
140 g butter
4 tbsp olive oil
140 g golden caster sugar
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
pinch chilli flakes (optional)
70 cl red wine
350 ml sherry (or red wine) vinegar
200 ml port

Method

  1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat.
  2. Add the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter.
  3. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper.
  4. Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly.
  5. Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they're really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don't rush this part.
  6. Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It's done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice.
  7. Leave the onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal.

Spicy Pork Chops

(Also known as: Pork Chops in Mexican Sauce and Pork Chops in Hot Tomato Sauce)

Ingredients

1 tsp chilli flakes
1 can Campbells condensed tomato soup
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp cumin
pork chops

Method

  1. Put all the ingredients except the pork chops into a blender and blend until smooth. (This can be done without a blender but will result in a "coarser" sauce and requires the onion to be even more finely chopped.)
  2. Score the pork chops to allow the sauce to penetrate deeper.
  3. In a shallow frying pan, marinade the pork chops in the sauce for a few hours (covered). This can been done overnight (in a sealed food bag) in a fridge, too.
  4. Cover and cook in the pan on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Turn the chops and cook on the other side for another ten minutes.
  5. Check and turn the chops until fully cooked.
  6. Serve with rice.