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.

Roasted Tomato Soup

...and this week's soup is...roasted tomato. I love tomato soup and have made it in different forms. Some day I will post my gingered tomato soup. But this week the tomatoes are roasted. To make this version of tomato soup you will need:

• 12 large, fleshy roma tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the tomatoes in quarters. Remove the seeds and white centers. Drizzle olive oil in two large pyrex molds. Place the tomatoes in the molds skin side up. Add the 5 cloves of garlic, Drizzle with additional olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

 

Place the molds in the oven for 30 minutes. ->

Turn the tomatoes and roast for and additional 30 minutes. This is hotter and quicker than the roasting we did for the roasted tomato recipe. The tomatoes shrivel and cook, but don't caramelize quite as much as with the longer slower roasting. At the end of the second roasting time, the tomato skins should be easily removable. I took off most of the skins at this point to avoid having to strain the puree later on. The garlic can also be squeezed out of their skins.

While the tomatoes are roasting, dice the onion and cook it slowly in a couple turns of olive oil. Add a bit of salt. Cook until the onion is translucent. 

When the tomatoes and garlic are roasted, add them to the onions and simmer together for a few minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 15 minutes. 

 

I used an immersion blender to puree the soup. From here you can take this soup in the direction you want...add more broth for a thinner soup...add cream for a creamier version...add some paprika, or crushed pepper flakes, or some Italian seasoning.... I just adjusted the salt and served the soup thick and hot with some of the grated cotija cheese (extra from the corn dip) on top. It was delicious, and even better today for lunch.

Roasted Tomatoes

This is a Sunday Night staple. They are addicting with a good sourdough baguette or foccacia.... can be used to construct different tapas, with goat cheese, or avocado, or bacon..., or as part of a roasted veggie sandwich with peppers and mushrooms and....well, they are out of this world.  I certainly didn't invent this recipe. There are variations available all over. I will walk you through how I do it and then you can make it your own or incorporate ideas from other cooks. You will need:

• tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• flat-leafed parsley
• garlic
• about 3 hours of your time, mostly just watching the oven.

In Maracaibo I use the Roma  (Italian plum or sauce) tomatoes which are often the only type available. I wait to have a good batch of almost too ripe tomatoes. The Roma tomatoes have fewer seeds than eating tomatoes and a good bit of natural sweetness. Here in NJ I found some smaller sweet tomatoes, about a third of the size of a regular on-the-vine tomato.

When I use the pear shaped Roma tomatoes I cut them in half, then scoop out the seeds and liquid. These little tomatoes seemed thick for their size so I sliced them in 3 or 4 parts. The Larger Roma tomatoes result in larger portions (1/2 tomato each). I thought these little guys would give a good snacking size, making it easier to portion.

Drizzle some olive oil in an oven proof mold. Place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer on the oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle a bit more oil over the top. I always like to add a good amount of olive oil. Don't drown the tomatoes, but don't be stingy either.  The liquid which is left at the end of the roasting is a mixture of olive oil, tomato juice and seasonings which makes a great bread dipping sauce all by itself, and always gets sopped up along with the tomatoes.

Place the tomatoes in a low oven. I use 100 degrees Centigrade in our big commercial oven at home. Here I used 225 degrees Fahrenheit.  It's doesn't have to be exact. You know if your oven is hotter or colder than the norm. You want the process to be long and slow. You're not frying the tomatoes, just slo-o-o-w roasting them. Check on the tomatoes after an hour and turn them over in the oil. Check again after a second hour and do the same. If they seem too dry at either of these points you can add a bit more oil. After the second hour you can turn them again and put them back in for 10 minutes or so while you chop the parsley and garlic. The tomato pieces should look shrivelled when they are done, somewhat dried, but not leathery. You want them to still be a bit juicy.


For an 11" pyrex mold of tomatoes chop two cloves of garlic and a handful of flat-leafed parsley. Again, this is to taste. If you really like the garlicky taste, add more. Not too fond of parsley? Add less. But get ready to love the taste of the parsley/garlic combination in these tomatoes.

Take the tomatoes out of the oven and add the chopped parsley/garlic combination. Mix together, scraping up any caramelized bits on the bottom of the mold, and let them sit to cool before covering and saving in the refrigerator. They definitely benefit from a bit of a wait so the flavors can blend.

To enjoy their full flavor, take them out to warm to room temperature before serving.

There, that was easy, wasn't it? And it gives you a final product with a deliciously complex taste. Now you can do it anytime you like, with the variations you choose. They will keep for several days in a covered container in the refrigerator, if you can manage to save them that long.  This is one of the dishes you can make a day or two ahead if you are planning a big menu.

Enjoy!