I'd like to share a recipe for one of the strangest and best things I've discovered this year: tomato jam. Maybe you're already familiar with it, but it's new to me. I guess it's actually quite old, maybe your grandma made it, but it's making a comeback. I always think of jam as being fruity, and often too sweet for my taste, but tomato jam is savory and sweet, and with all the spices and ginger, it's really flavorful. If you are one of those people who struggle to decide between pancakes and eggs for breakfast--savory or sweet--I think you will enjoy this.
It's good with cheese and crackers, on biscuits, and a wonderful winter substitute for tomatoes and cream cheese on an english muffin (one of my favorite summer foods). Other folks have suggested eating it with fish and meats, but I haven't tried that. Crazy chefs in San Francisco are even putting it in their ice cream.
This is a Mark Bittman recipe. I didn't have any roma tomatoes left, so I made it with the cherry tomatoes. They were too small to core, so I left the seeds in there, and reduced the sugar since they are naturally sweeter. It turned out great. I made a lot, so I canned the jam using a water bath canner, added more lemon juice, and processed the jars for five minutes.
Tomato Jam
1 1/2 pounds good ripe tomatoes cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño or other peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste.
1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use; this will keep at least a week.
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