{Foodie Post No. 12} Tomato Jam

Not all of my canning endeavors will make my "Foodie" series but this one is especially yummy and has so many uses so I felt like it deserved to be included.

The first time I had Tomato Jam was on a pizza night at my in-law's, although it was before I had actually married into the family...
At any rate, we were making pizzas but ran out of traditional sauce so someone opened a quart of 'Tomato Jam' and we started spreading it on pizza's. Don't let that fool you, this tomato jam is nothing like pizza sauce, it is however a spreadable tomato product that allowed for us to keep topping pizzas so we went with it. After we all enjoyed the pizza's we've decided to do it multiple times since. It really tastes like a spicy, earthy, katchup BBQ mix, maybe.

So a couple of weeks ago I texted my sil, Katie, who had made it to ask for her recipe, meanwhile I was browsing Pinterest looking for one in case I didn't hear back. In the end the one I chose from Pinterest was the same as the link she sent me!

Mine actually didn't turn out at all like the original jars I'd had of Katie's. I think she must have boiled hers down a lot more than I did, or maybe using different tomato varieties changes things, I'm not sure. I've made two batches and they both turned out the typical consistency of jam and not as paste like as Katie's.

Original recipe.

KATIE'S TOMATO JAM

• 5 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped (DO NOT PEEL, I promise, it adds to the texture
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 8 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I substituted Allspice)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes

1. Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, simmer the jam until it reduces to desired jam thickness/texture. This took about 3 hours for me, but it would vary depending on how high you keep your heat.
2. When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.
3. When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place.

This Tomato Jam is delicious and it's uses really are endless. I've used it plain as a dipping sauce for Pita Chips. My family served it over cream cheese to be eaten with crackers. I've put it onto pulled pork. Like I mentioned earlier, it could substitute for pizza sauce, just top your pizza more like a BBQ kind; chicken, bacon, cheddar, etc. It is a little spicy (you could reduce or leave out the chili flakes) but I've also served it with butter on fresh biscuits.