SPANISH TOMATO JAM
Seasonal Spanish Food
by Jose Pizarro
Like everyone else in rural Spain, we always grow enough tomatoes to bottle as a sauce for the winter months. Aside from its obvious use in casseroles and soups, the sauce is fantastic spread on toast for breakfast. This recipe for tomato jam is also a great accompaniment to a variety of cheeses.
Makes approx. 1¼ cups
INGREDIENTS
· 2 lb ripe tomatoes
· 1/2 cup superfine sugar
· 1/2 cup demerara sugar (brown cane sugar)
· 1 cinnamon stick
· peel of 1/2 lemon
· peel of 1/2 orange
DIRECTIONS
Use a sharp knife to make a cross in the skin of the base of each tomato. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pan and plunge them into iced water. Remove the skins and the stem. Chop the tomatoes into 6 to 8 slices, reserving the juice.
Place the tomatoes and juice in a saucepan over low heat and let reduce for 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Now add the rest of the ingredients and give everything a good stir. Don't break up the cinnamon.
Slowly cook the tomatoes for about 1 hour, stirring regularly. The end result should be a sticky, firm jam that is a shiny brown-red color. Remember to remove the cinnamon stick.
This keeps well in the fridge.
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