My VERY RED Tomato Jam (tomatoes, RED onions, RED chili, RED wine vinegar)
| September 3, 2010 | Posted by ameliaps under jam, onions, preserves, summer, tomato, vegetarian |
I bought a nice box vine ripe tomatoes: they are so RED, delicious, juicy and scented.
I was dying to preserve that taste and scent for the winter so I thought of jam… so I started searching for recipes and discovered a few that intrigued me. See the reference list (*) below.
But in the end, I chose to create my own version because I just wanted something “mine”, the way I was craving it. I wanted RED juicy vine ripe tomatoes, RED onions, RED wine vinegar and a few spices to round it up: cinnamon, coriander and of course RED hot chili peppers. So I called it VERY RED tomato jam!!! 
The whole kitchen is full of summer aromas. And now I have these adorable jam jars for quick appetizers in the winter. I am thinking crostini with ricotta (or goat cheese) and tomato jam (see photo below) or a platter of ripe cheese served along the open jar of jam.
I love it!
Amelia’s VERY RED Tomato Jam
Makes 1 1/2 pints
3-½ pounds RED vine ripe tomatoes, diced
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup RED wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 whole small RED onion, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 RED hot pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste
Put all ingredients in a 2-quart pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until thickened and jam-like consistency, about 60-90 minutes.
Transfer to sterilized glass jars and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks, or use a hot-water canning bath for 15 minutes for long-term storage. To learn how see this video. 
Here is how I “tested” the jam…on a challah bread toast (that’s the bread I had around) with ricotta (yum): 
Tips:
- Use tomatoes that are ripened on the vine and have some “meatiness” to them
- Cook at least an hour to make it “jammy”, dense. Patience is key…like with everything in life!
- Don’t skimp on the sugar (about ½ cup per pound of tomatoes), otherwise it’s a sauce…not a jam
- You definitively want to use SOME spices to bring out the flavors. I think it need the kick, so feel free to use chili peppers of various forms, jalapenos, cracked black pepper, or even tabasco.
- Depending on what regional inspiration you are going for change the acid: lemon (or lime) juice or vinegar (plenty of options)
(*) REFERENCE – Tomato Jam, Jelly, Preserves, and Chutneys:
- Tomato jam with spices: from the NY Times (Mark Bittman) and see video > jalapeño, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, lime juice
- Doce de Tomate: a recipe from “The new Portuguese Table” > includes ruby port, lemon zest, cloves and cinnamon
- Simple Portuguese tomato jelly > just tomato juice, sugar and water
- Sweet and savory tomato jam: from food52 > onion, brown sugar, coriander, cumin and cider vinegar
- 3 version of Tomato jam: from white on rice couple > Sweet n’ Spicy, Asian w/ginger, and Italian w/thyme and balsamic vinegar
- Tomato preserve: from the NY Times > an “antique” recipe from 1948
- Tomato basil jam: inspired by the book Gourmet Preserves Chez Madeleine > heirloom tomatoes, basil, lemon, and balsamic vinegar
- Smoked tomato jam > smoked tomatoes, shallots, honey, chevril
- Sun-Dried Tomato Onion Jam: from Gourmet > sun-dried tomatoes, pepper, hot pepper, apricots, onions, white wine
- Sun-dried Tomato Jam: from cooking light > with chicken broth, red wine, rosemary and garlic
- Green tomato jam w/ginger and vanilla > love the bright and transparent color of this one
- Tomatillo jelly with serrano chiles > serve with chili scones
- Tomato marmelade: from Sunset magazine > this is a 2-stage process, includes tomato paste and olive oil
- Tomato-Chipotle Chili Marmalade: also from Sunset magazine > intriguing smokeyness
- Tomato chutney: exotic flavor > ginger, red onion, garlic, and raisins
- Tomato onion jam: from the Pioneer woman cooks > cider vinegar, onion, cumin, coriander, lemon
- Spicy bourbon & black pepper tomato jam: from Country living > interesting ingredients: bourbon (!), black peppercorns, allspice, mustard seeds
- Tomato jam with rosemary and saffron: from herbivoracious > onion, rosemary, chili, saffron, black pepper, lemon juice
- Sicilian Tomato Jam: from over a Tuscan stove > Pachino tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice and basil (that’s it)
- Oven-roasted tomato jam > rich and meaty
- Green Tomato Marmelade > green tomatoes, oranges, crystallized ginger
- Maroccan tomato jam (adapted from Couscous by Paula Wolfert) > saffron, ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro, honey
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That looks very yummy ! I just started to learn how to JAM… Can i ask about your JARS? I am looking for plain ones like you have in the pic.. Can i ask where you got them?
THANK YOU!
@ Astheroshe: thanks for visiting my site!
You can find plain jars here: http://www.freundcontainer.com/product.asp?pn=4404B01-B&bhcd2=1283732749.
Also take a look at how I jarred savory blueberry jam with rosemary and balsamic vinegar here: http://www.ztastylife.com/2010/08/savory-blueberry-jam-with-balsamic.html
Your tomato jam looks so fresh and I love the vibrant colour!
Thanks Amelia! for all your comments on my blog..and the info on the jars.. I will be stopping by here a lot
awesome 
Amelia,
Thanks for popping over to my blog!
Always exciting "meeting" a local foodie.
Love the tomato jam. We made a kind of jam at the restaurant but I have never made it at home. I think its about time I hop to it!
Looking forward to checking out the rest of your recipes!
Amelia- gorgeous as always. This instills a sense of urgency in me to preserve sweet summer flavors. Thanks for encouraging me that it's not too late to summer can!
yumm looks delicious! Brava!
Wow, it looks so yummy and juicy!
I love your blog!
This looks so delicious!
Have a nice time!
Paula
I would love to try this, such a great way to preserve summer in a jar
I've never tasted tomato jam, but have been intrigued. This looks fabulous.
The color alone is just beautiful! Looks so yummy