Tomato Jam

Tomato jam is one of my most popular Sunday Night specials. It's great on sourdough baguette, with a bit of butter or not. It's amazing with a slice of manchego on a crostini. It also shines on a sandwich, or a burger. It's been called catsup for grownups...but it's so much more... and so much better for you.

To make a batch of tomato jam you will need several hours time, plus:

• 2 1/2 lbs tomatoes ( I use Roma, sauce tomatoes, but have seen recipes with cherry tomatoes)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar (I've lowered this amount over time. The original recipe used 1 3/4 c.)
• Grated zest of one lime
• 4 Tbs lime juice (about 2 good sized limes)
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

Once you have made and tasted the jam you can play with the amounts for your next batch. I have lessened the sugar, increased the ginger and I play with the amount of chili flakes in each batch. It is an easy recipe to double. I have often made larger batches, just roughly increasing the other ingredients in proportion to the amount of tomatoes I have.

I cut the roma tomatoes in quarters and pulse them in the food processor to get a rough sauce. You can chop finely by hand if you prefer. The final sauce will be a bit chunkier.

Place all the ingredients in a large heavy bottomed pot. Cook over LOW heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The total time will depend on the amount of tomatoes you are cooking and the heat you use. It's most important to watch the pot closely at the end and lower the heat if needed so that the sauce doesn't scorch at the end. When you have achieved the thickness you like, a dense jam-like texture, transfer the jam to several glass or plastic containers and store in the refrigerator. I recommend always taking a portion of jam out of the container to serve, and don't return uneaten jam to the storage container. That way your supply will last for quite a while.