Tomato Jalapeno Jam

This was inspired by Mark Bittman’s recipe in the New York Times back some time ago. We found his version a bit too sweet for us, but liked it enough that I decided to see if I could alter it sufficiently to suit our taste. It’s not like I have a shortage of tomatoes for experimenting.

In order to achieve a truly jam like consistency, you can’t reduce the sugar very much, because sugar is what gives jams and jellies their texture. Without it, this will just end up as a spicy tomato sauce. So instead of reducing the sweetness, I had to counter it a bit with some other flavors. Jalapeños are a natural choice for us, because we have plenty of them this year and we love that spicy-sweet combo. We also have a lot of very hot onions so I decided to use a few of those. And while I used lime juice as the original recipe calls for, I wanted a bit more acidity so I added some cider vinegar as well.

I did reduce the sugar a little, but the reason is that I wanted to add one of my favorite ingredients – Pomegranate Molasses. This stuff is wonderful – sweet and tangy and thick and fruity. You can probably find it in the Middle Eastern foods section of any big grocery store. I ordered it from The American Spice Company. I have been using it in barbecue sauce, quick breads and muffins and I am sure I will find more uses for it as I get into more baking over the winter.

My tweaks resulted in something quite special. It is definitely tomato-ey with some nice tanginess and a spicy jalapeno finish. There is depth and some surprising twists as you get through all the layers of flavor. After tossing down about a half cup each just to get a good taste, we tried it on crackers and on cornbread.

And then, because it reminds me of just a little of a sweet ketchup my Grandmother used to make, last night, we tried it on a burger coated with a spicy rub, served with grilled sweet onions and a local smoked triple milk Amish cheese. Nomity-nom!

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Tomato Jalapeno Jam

Author: Donalyn Ketchum

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 3 quarts

Ingredients

• 5 lbs peeled and quartered Roma tomatoes
• 2 medium onions cut in very thin slices
• 2 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
• 6 jalapeños 4 seeded, 2 with seeds, minced
• 4 inch piece fresh ginger grated
• 1 lime juice and shredded peel
• 1 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• additional juice of 1 lime

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a 5 quart heavy pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook until thick which can take 3 to 4 hours, depending how juicy your tomatoes are. if you are hanging right close by to keep a very close eye on it, you can raise the heat a bit, but be careful because once it starts to get thick it scorch rather quickly.
• Keep stirring at regular intervals to prevent sticking and burning.
• After two hours, I tasted and adjusted the flavors by adding a couple more jalapeños, a little more vinegar and salt – those amounts are reflected in the recipe. You need to adjust to suit your taste, keeping in mind that the flavors will intensify as the jam reduces.
• Taste again at the very end, and add salt and the additional lime juice to taste.
• Store in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks, in the freezer for much longer.
• It can be canned - the same directions you would use for canning salsa will work for this as well - probably best to can in pints or half pints so it gets used up before it goes bad in the fridge after opening.

 All in all, a most worthy venture, and one that absolutely bears repeating in years to come.