September 4, 2020

Smoky Vegan Onion Jam

Rich, smoky, complex and silky, it’s vegan onion jam, perfectly spreadable from the jar for all your savory sandwich needs. It brings the sweet/savory combination to life, and is just delightful on toast with fresh tomatoes, or on your vegan grilled cheese, or used instead of pizza sauce, or to make any veggie burger beyond delicious. It’s so good I had to stop myself from eating spoonsful of it as I waited for it to cool down. And I was only partially successful… I wish better self control to you, as you make and enjoy this vegan, silky, smoky, complex onion jam. Enjoy!

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Ode to An Onion

“Stable, Abiding, Supportive, and Layered: Ode to the Onion” so begins the yet unpublished short essay I wrote, completely just for my own amusement, all about the onion. There are very few essays that I have written without a real purpose (like for school or work), so the ones I do are always about something important. And believe you me, onions are important! Can you imagine all of your favorite soups, sautés, and other savory dishes without onions? Onions are important, both as a background player but also as a vegetable unto themselves. Through the magic of heat, the spicy and pungent onion cooks down to a sweeter, softer and more savory vegetable that ties dishes together and ups the flavor in every bite. Now I’m not going to share my entire three page ramblings of onion love with you here, but I thought I’d share one little tidbit that I found beautiful about the onion and that is its long standing ability to cross class lines and bring people together. In Ancient Egypt, onions were held in great esteem and symbolized eternity in their rings, yet they were eaten by both Pharaoh and slave. As the Roman satirist Juvernal, after noting the god-like respect that onions were given in Egyptian culture, once joked, that “every garden is o’errun with gods”.

Looking for Onion Recipes? Try one of these!

Is Onion Jam really Jam?

As defined by Webster, “A food made by boiling fruit and sugar into a thick consistency”, onion jam is not really jam. Because onions (unlike so many other vegetables), are actual vegetables and not fruit. Of course, using that same strict definition, rhubarb jam could also not be considered a jam, and neither could any jams being made with no sugar or sugar alternatives. In a less strict definition, I think of jam as being a sweet, chunky, thick spread, usually made from fruit, but one where a vegetable would also be totally acceptable. Because of the way we cut our onions, there is a sort of stringiness to the jam when it’s spread, that upsets me not at all but is a little different from a traditional fruit jam. I love pairing it with my homemade vegan brie, or in a toasted sandwich with fresh tomatoes. It’s perfect for all of your savory applications!

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Making Vegan Onion Jam

Low and slow, my friend, low and slow. Start by chopping up your onions, and then cooking them in some oil on medium heat for about 20 minutes, so the onions cook down and soften but haven’t yet browned much. Then add all the other goodies that give this onion jam a much more complex flavor- a little nutritional yeast, mustard, herbs, liquid smoke, rum, and soy sauce, plus a good helping of brown sugar and some water. Now it’s another, longer, slower cook, while the water reduces, the flavors meld, and the onions soften. As it continues to reduce, the onions will start to brown and caramelize from the heat and sugar. Don’t rush it, and don’t stir too often. Just chill and let that onion jam come together for you. As it reduces, lower the heat a little, and once there isn’t extra liquid, and the jam is thick and silky, it’s out of the pot and into the fridge. Unlike many other jams, this vegan onion jam doesn’t have a high level of acidity so it isn’t safe for canning and it won’t last as long- but that’s okay, you’re going to want to eat it all quickly anyways!