From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

I picked up the recipe in a store, with recipes using ‘Chabasco Bakery’ breads, which were not gluten-free breads, but I was curious about the jam ingredients. When I was a speaker at the 40^th Annual Healthy Villi Conference in May, the chef had made a fresh tomato marmalade mixed with chopped smoked chicken on top of a cucumber slice and finished with a squiggle of creamy avocado. Very tasty. He gave me the recipe, so I made it yesterday and it’s mellowing. If it worked, I’ll share it with all of you!

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. of sun-dried tomatoes from a jar (I cut my tomatoes into fine strips. I prefer to either chop them in advance in a food processor or use an immersion blender once cooked to make more of a smooth paste)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ medium onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely crushed
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. gluten-free wine vinegar
• ¾ cup water mixed with ½ tsp. gluten-free chicken stock concentrate or gluten-free vegetable bouillon cube or stock
• 1/8 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Put 2 cup saucepan over medium heat and add oil and onion.
2. Cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown at the edges.
3. Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, sugar, water with stock concentrate, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered until liquid is reduced. (The recipe quoted 30 minutes covered and then another 5-10 minutes uncovered until a jam-like consistency is reached. I found it didn’t become jam-like. I stopped when ‘free’ liquid had evaporated which was much quicker than they said. It will evaporate even quicker with a lid, so watch your pan.
4. Add balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Decant into a glass jar, cool and refrigerate to allow flavors to mellow and blend.

Ways to Enjoy:

In the summer I would like to add chopped, fresh basil, parsley, chives, garlic chives, lemon thyme even some chopped fresh rosemary for different tastes each time. Make the jam and then add fresh herbs to small quantities to experiment.

I toasted some gluten-free breads, topped them with goat cheese (mix with a little milk to make it more spreadable and less crumbly) and then the sun-dried tomato jam. Use it as a spread in a sandwich or a condiment for steak, chicken or fish. Perhaps you can mix it with goat cheese or sour cream for a dip.