eat make read

Fall is coming on quick. It’s a change that I’m really looking forward to, but I’m a little sad to see the summer veggies fade from the farmer’s market. So while they’re still at the market, I took the opportunity to pick up a big old bag of roma tomatoes, eager to preserve some of their goodness for a little while longer. The thing is, a bag of tomatoes at the end of the season is kind of a lot of pressure to make something awesome. Do I make tomato sauce or do I go with something new? Yowza… Well I ended up going for the latter after I found this recipe for tomato jam from Mark Bittman. It’s a fairly easy recipe that’s packed with flavor—and better yet—it’s super versatile. In the day since I’ve made it I’ve used it in my breakfast, a snack and dinner. Pretty awesome, right?

As with most Bittman recipes, this one’s a breeze. The most work comes with coring and chopping the tomatoes, which is really nothing to complain about. Simply toss everything in a pot on the stove and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to a jam consistency. That’s it! I wish every recipe were so carefree…

But let’s talk about flavor real quick. When I first tasted this I was a little taken back by how sweet it was—I know it’s called a jam, but I was expecting a little more tomato flavor to shine through. Paired with the warm spices, like cinnamon and ginger this really takes on a sweet note with hints of hot spice that barely tingle your tongue. That’s not to say it’s not tasty—in fact I’m a little bit in love with it. As I mentioned earlier I tried this on multiple dishes this weekend: For breakfast, I spread it over a tortilla and laid scrambled eggs on top, quite tasty but a wee bit sweet for my taste in this setting. Next I tried it over a little boucheron cheese and it was magical! Paired with the rich, creamy cheese, the sweetness of the tomato jam along with the various spices in it worked perfectly. Lastly, I made meatloaf for dinner and spread a little of it on top of the meatloaf while it baked. It added a nice depth of flavor to the meatloaf and was a nice change from the usual ketchup. So, I think this jam is perfect used as a pairing with cheese or added to a dish for more depth.

tomato jam
slightly adapted from the New York Times

Note: the original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, but I think it could be taken down to 3/4 cup or even 1/2 if you’re feeling daring.

1 1/2 pounds good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 to 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 teaspoon pepper
1-2 hot peppers, like jalepeño or cayenne 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.