Tomato Jam

Cookbook author Mark Bittman is a tremendous essayist, a courageous activist and a modern-day hero on the national battlefield of food politics. He calls attention to the plight of small farmers, points out conflicts of interest among the various parties clamoring for agricultural subsidies or changes thereto, and has personally changed his way of cooking and eating to reflect his beliefs, eating less meat and seeking to boost his vegetable intake for both his health and that of the environment. If you aren't already reading him, we'd suggest you have a look.

And by the way, the man can write a serious recipe.

This tomato jam, from Bittman's column, "The Minimalist" in the New York Times, is sweet and savory, with a hint of fire from the peppers. We've made tomato jam that tastes just like ketchup, leaving you to wonder why you've wasted your afternoon in front of your stovetop. Not this one. The clove and ginger bring an exotic complexity to the tart-sweet jam that makes it just about the ideal summer condiment. It's delicious on grilled meats and vegetables -- we'll be bringing it tonight to serve with grilled flank steak, grilled chicken and grilled eggplant -- and is also great with a soft cheese (goat, ricotta, even Philadelphia's finest, cream cheese) and crackers.



Tomato Jam
Mark Bittman, The New York Times (Aug. 20, 2008)
Here is the recipe, cut and pasted from the column. We can't remember the last time we didn't make changes to a recipe, but no need here. The recipe doubles beautifully, and if you are handy at canning, this would seem a good keeper.

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.