It's amazing how many memories can be tied up with a particular flavour.
Take, for example, tomato jam.
A few years ago, as The Boy and I sat down to eat breakfast in an adorable little inn in a tiny Andalusian town in Spain, a trio of tiny dishes were set down on the table, each filled with a spoonful of homemade jam.
To accompany them, a basket of fresh bread and a plate of local cured meats and cheeses. A continental breakfast, they'd called it, though it bore little resemblance to the dry, hard rolls and single-serve packets of grape jelly that I tend to associate with the term.
It was those three little anonymous dollops of jam that caught my eye, unlabelled and unnamed as they were. The first two I could identify by sight - quince jam, thick and grainy and dark umber in colour, and orange marmalade, pale orange and speckled with shreds of bitter orange peel. The third remained a mystery, though, with a brilliant brick-red colour and a beguiling spicy-sweet flavour.
I could taste hints of cinnamon or cloves, and a little lemon as well... but the dominant flavour remained frustratingly elusive. It was quite literally on the tip of my tongue, but slipped out of reach each time I came close.
And then, a few bites later, that nearly-forgotten memory floated to the surface. "Tomato!" I said. "It's TOMATO jam!"
It was a jam my great-aunt-some-degrees-removed used to make when I was wee, but that I hadn't tasted in at least a dozen years by then.
Packaged in that memory were slices of toast smeared with a thin layer of tomato jam eaten at the kitchen table, an apple-cheeked face with a pair of twinkling eyes and a broad sunny smile, and the warm hugs she always had for her little "Isabelinha" - the childhood nickname she used for me even when I went back to visit her in Portugal as a full-grown woman, as we sat in her farmhouse kitchen picking over peas which would be braised with eggs and chourico for our lunch.
And so it is that tomato jam will always taste like more than just tomatoes and spice, but also like the happiness that can be found in bountiful embraces, Portuguese farmhouse kitchens and romantic Andalusian breakfasts for two. It's good stuff.
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- 2 lbs fresh plum tomatoes
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 wide strip of lemon peel
- Cut a small x into the bottom of each tomato. Blanch in a large pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, then immediately plunge in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
- Peel the tomatoes, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Roughly chop the remaining flesh.
- In a large, wide pot set over high heat, combine the chopped tomatoes with remaining ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring regularly, for about an hour or until the jam starts to take on a thick and glossy consistency. Remove the the cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon peel, and discard.
- At this stage, you can puree the jam with an immersion blender to get a smoother consistency, or leave it as is for a more rustic style. I personally prefer a slightly chunky jam, so I leave it alone.
- Continue cooking the jam for another 10 minutes, then test for set. If the jam is still quite runny, continue cooking and testing at 10 minute intervals until it reaches the right consistency.
- Once the jam has passed the set test, ladle into clean, sterilised glass jars. Jam can be stored in the fridge once cooled, where it will keep for approximately one month. For longer-term storage, the jars can be processed in a hot water bath for 5 minutes and then stored in a cool, dark spot for up to a year.
Terry Cregan-Leidigh says
My Grandmother made tomato jam way back when before me! I remember this delicious blend, tried to find it for many years. Came close, but there always seemed to be something missing...why hadn't anyone written these recipes down before she passed? Makes me crazy just thinking about it! I believe this is the one! Sounds like all the tastes & flavors I remember, including the orange . T will be giving it a try & thank you so very much for bringing this memory back to me.
Isabelle Boucher says
I hear you, Terry! I wish I'd taken the time to write down all my grandmother's amazing recipes while I still had the chance. To this day, I still can't make a salt cod fritter as good as my vovo's.
mary rivera says
Thankyou AWESOME!!!!!
ForresterMom says
So glad to find another portuguese recipe. Thank you for this. I will be making it next week and look forward to making it next year with my homemade tomatoes!
Jennifer says
I just made tomato jam too, first time! Love it!
Big Boys Ovem says
oh! this is one of my favourite tomato jam! it so delious and fragrant too!
WizzyTheStick says
I've never had tomato jam and now you've made me very curious to try it.
Torviewtoronto says
delicious jam
Brie: Le Grand Fromage says
aww, i love your story. very well written. i've been hesitant to try other recipes, but i'll be saving this one to make so i can savor tomato jam for the first time.
Isabelle says
It is amazing! :) It works best with Romas or other types of plum tomatoes, because they're not as watery and cook down a lot faster. Anything other than cherry tomatoes would probably work just fine, though. (I'd avoid the cherries because they're mostly skin and seeds, and have very little useable flesh).
On that particular trip, we bounced around through a good chunk of southern Spain - Seville, Cadiz, Cordoba, Ronda and Granada, plus a few days in Barcelona. It's a beautiful corner of the world... hope to go back again someday.
apiciusapprentice says
What the what?! Tomato jam?! That sounds AMAZING! My sister's garden is producing the last of the seasons tomatoes, so I might just have to forward this to her!
Where did you visit when you were in Spain? The Andalucian area really is stunning though, no?