Confession time: We love condiments. Not your typical cookout or diner fare, mind you—although one of us would most likely bathe in mustard if given the chance *cough*ME—but the good stuff: Chutneys, turshis, compotes, exotic mustards, fruit butters…the list goes on. One of our favorites, though, is a great savory jam. They’re super easy to make, require no special equipment, and are a fantastic topper for anything from simple crostini to a roast of any kind, whether it be chicken, beef, lamb, pork, even portabella mushroom caps. How’s that for multi-purpose?
This particular beauty is what we like to call a “Franken-recipe”, because it’s cobbled together from a couple of different sources. Smitten Kitchen (one of our faves) featured a roasted grape and olive crostini recipe, and Bon Appetit offered a balsamic fig chutney with roasted grapes. (You can check out the links to the originals below.)
Since they already had the roasted grapes in common, we figured we’d throw them in a pot together, put on a little Barry White, and see if they hit it off. Once they discovered their common Mediterranean roots, they started to mingle, and hit it off they most certainly did.
The resulting jam is sweet, tart, briny, tangy and swoon-worthy. Your little tastebuds might just break out into the “Hallelujah” chorus, so holiday music—covered!
Perfect to make ahead, this will keep in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks, but honestly, we’ve never been able to test that. Stuff disappears pretty quickly when you put it on everything.
The recipe has the added crowd-pleasing advantage of being vegan (so no dairy or eggs), gluten-, soy-, and nut-free, which makes it a perfect party condiment because it’s safe for pretty much anyone. Voilá!
Inspired by Smitten Kitchen and Bon Appetit.
- 8 oz. dried figs, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 and ½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup purple grapes, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- Heat oven to 400° F.
- Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped figs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, onion, and shallot. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown at the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue simmering until most of the liquid is reduced and the mixture is the consistency of jam, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, grapes, olives, and rosemary in a baking dish. Roast in oven until skins become soft and grapes and olives release much of their juices, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then pulse lightly in a food processor. Fold into cooled fig jam.
- Serve on chicken, lamb, or crostini. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
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