Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Spicy tomato jam is a wonderful way to use the bounty that many of us harvest from the garden over the warm summer season. Fresh tomato jam is a wonderful fresh note on sandwiches, in omelettes and as a garnish on vegetables. I do freeze leftover jam for use over the winter, when a bright note is most welcome!
Ingredients
1 lb grape, or Roma tomatoes (if using Romas, you need to seed/core)
1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, or honey, to taste
2 tbs water
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tbs citrus juice (orange or lime if you prefer a sweeter jam, lemon or grapefruit if you prefer a more tart product)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Equipment needed:
A heavy bottomed, covered sauce pot is critical to ensure that the jam doesn’t burn!
Cooking instructions:
- Rinse tomatoes and remove any stems. If using Roma instead of grape tomatoes, core and dice them.
- Place in sauce pot with sugar and spices. Let mixture begin to melt and let the spices start to get aromatic.
- Add water and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until scraping a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan doesn’t fill in immediately.
- When jam reaches desired thickness, scoop into glass jar and refrigerate. Jam keeps for about a week in the fridge; if frozen into cubes, can last for several months in the freezer.