Something different - tomato jam!

Let me tell you, I've honestly never heard of tomato jam before, but came upon this recipe and since I had loads of kitchen ripened roma tomatoes laying around I figured it was worth a shot. Normally I just toss the tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and let them slowly caramelize or "oven dry" then store it in the fridge to make a sauce, spread for pizza or even throw in a soup for some complex tomato flavour.

Back to the jam.. it's really delicious! Sticky sweet, slightly spicy from the jalapeños and ginger with some warmth from the spices like cinnamon and clove It's a great fall recipe I think and super easy to make, just throw all the ingredients in a pot and let it boil away, stirring every now and then.

Give it a try and let me know what you come up with! Right now I'm thinking of using it as a marinade/glaze on meats, maybe throwing a bit in a "fresh" stir fry for sweetness or topping a burger, use it as a dip or just smear a little goat cheese on your favourite bread and top it with those lovely jam. Yum!

Tomato Jam

1 1/2 pounds good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped

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 jalapeño or other peppers, 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.

Yield: About 1 pint.

Recipe I used, though there are many variations out there, I'm thinking a hint of tamarind would be nice in there for an indian twist.

NOTE: I blanched my tomatoes in boiled water very briefly then dunked them in cold ice water to remove the peels. Tomato and pepper peels are one of my biggest pet peeves in the world which is why I don't eat at any pizza place or order a tomato pasta dish at restaurants. I just think it's better to have a jam without peels in it because then you got those nice little candied pieces of tomato to savour.