Tomato Chili Jam Food

CHEAT'S TOMATO CHILLI JAM

Steps:

• Put a 400g can chopped tomatoes, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1 grated thumb-sized piece of ginger, 1 star anise, 250g caster sugar, 150ml red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt in a pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 mins until thick and glossy. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, and transfer to a sterilised jar. Will keep for two weeks, or unopened for up to six months.

TOMATO JAM

Steps:

• Score an X in the bottom of 3 pounds of tomatoes and cook in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain, transfer to a bowl of ice water, then peel and dice. Combine the tomatoes with 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cider vinegar in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon each ground coriander and cumin and the juice of 1 lemon. Cook, stirring, until thick, about 1 hour; let cool. Serve with cheese and crackers.

TOMATO CHILE JAM

Steps:

• Open the can of tomatoes and drain the liquid into a food processor or blender. Reserve the tomatoes.
• Slice 3 to 6 fresh red chile peppers (depending on their heat) and add to the blender or processor with garlic, ginger and fish sauce. Blend until smooth.
• Pour into a pan, add the diced tomatoes and vinegar and sugar. Simmer until thick and syrupy, about an hour. Natural pectin in the tomatoes gives the sauce its jammy consistency.
• When cool, transfer to containers or jars, and keep refrigerated.

SWEET CHILLI JAM

Steps:

• Tip the peppers, chillies (with seeds), ginger and garlic into a food processor, then whizz until very finely chopped. Scrape into a heavy-bottomed pan with the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar, then bring everything to the boil. Skim off any scum that comes to the surface, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 50 mins, stirring occasionally.
• Once the jam is becoming sticky, continue cooking for 10-15 mins more, stirring frequently so that it doesn't catch and burn. It should now look like thick, bubbling lava. Cool slightly, transfer to sterilised jars, then leave to cool completely. Keeps for 3 months in a cool, dark cupboard - refrigerate once opened.

TOMATO CHILLI (CHILE) JAM

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a two-quart saucepan. Add mustard seeds and cook until they pop.
• Add onion and stir for about 30 seconds, then add all other ingredients.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir frequently. You don't want it to burn.
• When the jam has thickened to your preference, turn off heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then zap with a stick blender to puree it slightly. You want it to stay on the chunky side.
• Bottle and store in the fridge. Use within two weeks. I find it improves with age.

TOMATO CHILI JAM

Steps:

• First, blanch the tomatoes (bring a pan of water to the boil, remove from heat and place the tomatoes in the water for a minute or two). Then peel them. Chop them into halves or quarters.
• Peel the garlic cloves and place them, together with the tomatoes, the Nam Pla (or alternative) and chilis into a blender. Blend on a medium setting until the whole mixture resembles a strawberry milkshake. Yeah, really, it will. It's a little off-putting, to be honest, but it won't last for long....
• Pour the vinegar and the "strawberry milkshake" mix into a large-ish heavy-bottomed saucepan, and then pour in the sugar - just dump it in; there's no need to do it in increments.
• Bring the whole thing to a boil over a high-ish heat, stirring constantly to completely dissolve the sugar.
• Once it comes to the boil, turn the heat to low and leave the jam to simmer. There's no need to cover the pan (and doing so will likely increase cooking time.).
• From now on, stir every 10 minutes or so to keep the mixture from sticking to the sides of the pan.
• You need to leave the pan at a simmer until the mixture starts to gain a jam-like consistency. This can be a little difficult to gauge on your first outing, since the jam will be runnier at cooking temperature than at room temperature. It'll start to look a bit "jammy" even at high heat, though, and stirring it will become more difficult.
• Reaching thei "jam stage" usually takes somewhere around an hour and a half, but it can vary up to half an hour either side, depending on the water content of the tomatoes. The eventual amount of jam, similarly, will vary somewhat.

TOMATO - CHILI JAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the lemon juice.
• Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until thick and "jammy".
• Stir in the lemon juice.
• Spoon into 1 cup jars and can in a water bath for 30 minutes, or seal and keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks.