As you know, jam is the most popular winter harvest. For many, fruit jam is common: strawberry, orange, plum, etc. But tomato jam? This is, you see, something interesting. Contrary to the beliefs of many housewives, tomatoes are not vegetables at all, but berries. Therefore, jam from them turns out to be very tasty, although somewhat unusual. You can make jam from any tomato for the winter. Recently, recipes for cherry tomato jam have gained popularity.
What is cherry?
Perhaps this is the only type of tomato with almost a year-round season. Small, growing in beautiful massive clusters - they can be bought fresh both in autumn, winter or spring. The taste and smell of cherry are like a real tomato. Varieties of these tomatoes of several colors are known - traditional red, green, yellow or even black.
Cherry differs from ordinary tomatoes in that they can be kept fresh longer. They contain one and a half times more various various valuable healthy substances (fructose, glucose, minerals and vitamins). 100 g of cherry tomatoes contain a daily dose of potassium and iron, as well as vitamins A, B, C.
Cherry Tomato Jam
This treat is rightfully considered exotic among all home preservation. To taste, the workpiece resembles a sweet and sour sauce, which can perfectly complement poultry dishes or any meat. A jar of this delicacy will pleasantly surprise guests who have to guess for a long time, from what fruit did the hostess cook it?
Cherry tomato jam is usually prepared in several stages. To achieve color saturation during the first cooking, it is recommended to add balsamic vinegar. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to taste.
Cherry tomato jam: recipe with photo
This recipe is called by many a real tomato masterpiece. The dish just cooks and it turns out very tasty.
Ingredients
To make cherry tomato jam (photo presented in the article) you will need:
- ripe tomato fruits (2 kg);
- lemon (1 pc.);
- lemon juice (made from half a lemon);
- sugar - (about 800-900 g);
- anise (you can take star anise instead, it is a spice with a bright aroma, so it is used in minimal quantities - just one star).
Cooking steps
Next, we will tell you how to make cherry tomato jam. First, tomatoes should be peeled. For this, the housewives advise boiling water in a saucepan, making a small incision (cross-shaped) on each tomato and for 40-60 seconds. dip vegetables in boiling water. Such heat treatment will make it easy to separate the skin from the pulp of a tomato.
Next, peeled tomatoes are carefully placed in a pan, covered with sugar, slices of lemon are added (it is possible with zest: citrus is passed through a meat grinder), anise is added (1 star.). After a while, the tomatoes give juice. After an hour and a half, the pan is put on fire. The mass is boiled for about an hour. In this case, do not forget to stir it regularly.
Then turn off and leave the jam to infuse. After a day, lemon juice is poured into the tomato mass and again brought to a boil. In order for the cherry tomato jam to thicken, it should be simmered over low heat for an hour. If the consistency of the workpiece is not sufficiently thickened, the cooking time can be increased to one and a half to two hours.
At the end, the jam is poured into small, pre-sterilized jars and put away for storage. Due to the fact that the product contains a large concentration of lemon juice, which is a safe natural preservative, there is no need to keep cherry tomato jam in the cold - it can perfectly “winter” at room temperature.
Note to the hostess: something about spices
If even after a long cooking the tomato mass does not thicken, you can add a little gelatin or any other product with a gelling effect to it.
Many housewives create their own (author's) recipes for cherry tomato jam. The taste of this berry will perfectly shade with ginger, nutmeg, Dijon mustard. A good addition may be chili peppers, but this spice is added to the dish exclusively in very small quantities.
According to home craftswomen, it is in the spices that the main secret of the preparation of the original, very tasty jam lies. However, most mistresses use only one spice - star anise or star anise, which have already been mentioned (see above). As part of a home-made harvest of cherry tomatoes, it miraculously transforms the well-known taste of the product. According to reviews, the jam is sweet and sour, very fragrant and tart. This preparation can be used both as a dessert during family tea parties, and as an unusual sauce for meat dishes.
Which tomatoes to use?
The choice of tomatoes for jam should be approached with great responsibility and attention. Fruits must be strong, in no case with watery, but with dense pulp. Otherwise, during cooking, they will turn into slurry.
Tomatoes must certainly be fully ripe. An exception is the option of making jam from green cherry tomatoes (this will be discussed below). On red fruits, in no case should there be yellow-green patches.
How to make jam from green tomatoes? Structure
To prepare the workpiece use:
- tomatoes (1 kg);
- sugar (1.2 kg);
- purified water (1 cup);
- citric acid (2 g);
- vanilla (added to taste).
Cooking
The most fleshy, small oval fruits are selected, the stalks are cut out of them, washed thoroughly and cut in half. Using a teaspoon, carefully remove seeds from each half. Then minutes for two tomatoes should be lowered in boiling water.
Then they cook, for which they combine sugar and water. Syrup pour the peeled halves of tomatoes, after which they are left overnight (6-8 hours are enough). After this time, the pan should be put on high heat and boil quickly. At the end of cooking, add citric acid or lemon juice (possible with zest), vanillin. Ready jam, as usual, is laid out hot in sterile jars and rolled up.
Another recipe
Jam made from green cherry tomatoes is also prepared this way. In the composition of the product:
- 1 kg of green berries;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 1 liter of water;
- citric acid to taste.
The pot of water is brought to a boil on the stove. Stack the tomatoes in a deep container. Cut them in half and remove the seeds using a teaspoon. Then half put on a cutting board and cut into small cubes. Next, tomatoes should be placed in a pan and pour boiling water. After this, the product is again brought to a boil. The mass should be boiled for 10 minutes. Then the water is drained and again the tomatoes are poured with cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. This product eliminates bitterness. Boiled tomatoes are placed in a colander, allowed to drain water, then they need to be laid in a bowl and covered with sugar. The mass is left for two to three hours, after which it is poured with hot water and again boiled for about 10 minutes. Tomatoes should be allowed to brew for 24 hours.
On the next day, the syrup is drained, put on the stove and boiled for 15-20 minutes, after which they are poured ready-made tomatoes. Next, a bowl of tomatoes put on the stove and about 15 minutes. cook over low heat, stirring constantly. In 3 minutes before the end of cooking, pour citric acid into it. Hot jam is poured into jars (sterilized), rolled up and laid in a dry, dark and cool place. According to reviews, this very tasty, inexpensive and healthy jam goes well with pancakes, waffles, fresh buns and sweet crackers.