Smoked Chorizo Jam

Happy New Year everyone!! 2018 is going to rock! :) I made this jam to add to our cheese board at Christmas, and let me tell you, it's amazing! Spicy and smoky from the chorizo sausage, with a little maple syrup for a sweet kick. It's delicious alongside cheese, or just on toast/as a sandwich, and makes a wonderful addition to any hamper. This recipe makes around 300g of jam, which is enough to fill one 450g jam jar.

Ingredients:

• 250g (one sausage/9 oz) smoked chorizo, chopped into 1-2cm cubes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (or crushed)
• 40g (3 tbsp) light soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 50ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) strong black coffee (I used instant, but you could use espresso coffee)

Method:

1. Place a saucepan over a medium heat, and fry the chorizo for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it has crisped in the corners and is beginning to golden in the corners.

2. Move the chorizo from of the pan into a bowl, leaving as much of the chorizo oil in the pan as possible. Fry the onion in this oil for 10-15 minutes on a low heat, until the onion has become very soft.

3. Add the garlic clove, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar and coffee and stir through. Leave to simmer for 25-30 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent sticking) until the mixture has become very thick and syrupy.

4. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a food processor/high powered blender and pulse briefly. I kept mine fairly chunky, but you could make it finer if you like (I wouldn't recommend pureeing it, however).

5. Leave to cool then pour into the sterilized jam jar. This will keep for up to a month in the fridge.

6. Enjoy!