There is a pepper jelly for every occasion: plain bell pepper, hot pepper, garlic pepper, pepper-specific like jalapeño or habanero pepper, and even multi-pepper like seven-pepper jelly. This onion pepper jelly has a little of both red and green bell peppers to give it color as well as depth of taste, but there is a predominately and commanding onion flavor with the sweet, making it an hors d’oeuvre general as well as a cooking condiment colonel.

Ingredients

• 1-1⁄2 cups medium-diced red onion

• 1⁄2 cup medium-diced red bell pepper

• 1⁄2 cup medium-diced green bell pepper, or 1⁄2 cup seeded and finely chopped jalapeños

• 6-1⁄2 cups sugar

• 1-1⁄2 cups distilled vinegar

• 1⁄2 tablespoon butter

• 1 pouch liquid pectin

Directions
1 Prepare the onion and peppers and place in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, vinegar and butter. Bring to a rapid, rolling boil.

2 Add the pectin and return to a rolling boil before beginning a 1-1⁄2 minute count. Check for signs of adequate jelling after 1 minute.

3 When ready, pour into sterile canning jars, seal, and invert for 2 minutes only.

Canning Notes
• This is an acidified, sugar-saturated, hot-pack recipe.
• pH testing is not required.
• This recipe makes 7+ half-pint jars; half pints are best-suited for this recipe.
• This recipe can be doubled but not halved.

Serving Suggestions
If the cheese is the thing with which we’ll catch the interest of the king (just to twist the great bard’s words), then the cheese to use might be English Stilton. However, one can always use cream cheese. Spoon this jelly over a favourite cheese and serve with water crackers for a showstopping hors d’oeuvre.

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Excerpted from Putting Up More Copyright © 2011 by Stephen Palmer Dowdney. Photography Copyright © 2011 by Rick McKee. Excerpted by permission of Raincoast Books. All rights reserved.