Red onion relish
Red onion relish is a sweet and tangy condiment made with onions, dark sugar, wine, balsamic vinegar, dried apricots and apple. The Thermomix TM7 stirs and simmers it automatically to a glossy, sticky consistency. Ideal with cheese boards, cold meats or burgers, this homemade preserve brings seasonal flavours to your table all year round.
About this recipe
Red onion relish Thermomix TM7 style is the homemade preserve that transforms simple onions, dark sugar and balsamic vinegar into a glossy, jammy condiment worth making every week. Searching for chutney recipes for your all-in-one kitchen machine usually leads to endless stirring over a hot hob, but the TM7 changes that completely. The onions are chopped evenly in seconds, the mustard seeds release their aroma in the mixing bowl, and the wine, apple and dried apricots simmer down hands-free into a sticky, sweet-and-sour relish without any risk of burning. This is a brilliant accompaniment for a festive cheese board, Sunday burgers or a quick weeknight dinner of grilled sausages. Because the TM7 handles both the chopping and the slow reduction, you get that deep caramelised flavour traditionally associated with hours of preserving, ready to spoon into sterilised jars and enjoy for weeks afterwards.
Preparation tips
- Sterilise your jars before filling: wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry them in a warm oven so the hot onion relish seals properly and keeps for weeks in the cupboard.
- For a deeper, more rounded flavour, let the chopped onions sweat in the olive oil with the mustard seeds before adding the dark sugar, wine and balsamic vinegar to the mixing bowl.
- Dried apricots bring natural sweetness and body, but you can swap them for dried figs or dates; keep the apple for its pectin, which helps the relish set to a lovely spoonable consistency.
Recipe variations
- Alcohol-free version: replace the red wine with an equal quantity of red grape juice or concentrated blackcurrant cordial mixed with a splash of red wine vinegar, keeping the same sweet-and-sour balance in the onion relish.
- Festive winter variation: add a cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a handful of dried cranberries instead of apricots for a Christmas-themed relish that pairs beautifully with baked ham and mature cheddar.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Fine chopping - The Thermomix chops the red onions evenly in seconds, with no tears and no uneven pieces in your relish. [Chopping]. [Multi-Function]
- Precise weighing - The TM7 built-in scale weighs the dark sugar and balsamic vinegar directly into the bowl for a perfectly balanced relish. [Weighing]. [Precision Control]
- Automatic simmering - Hands-free, the Thermomix stirs the onions, wine and apricots slowly until the relish turns thick and glossy. [Heating]. [Hands-Free]
- Fresh grinding - The TM7 grinds the mustard seeds and peppercorns fresh, releasing aromatic oils for a noticeably livelier relish. [Grinding]. [Multi-Function]
- Even blending - Gentle rotation of the Thermomix folds the apple through the hot mixture, giving the preserve its consistent sticky texture. [Mixing]. [Multi-Function]
Ingredients
- olive oil
- red onions
- dark brown sugar
- red wine
- balsamic vinegar
- dried apricots
- green apple
- ground black pepper
- sea salt
- yellow mustard seeds