Tomato & Chili Jam

nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ quite like jam

This jam turned me into Santa.

No, I didn’t grow a beard or a belly.

But I did become a gifting machine. Of the three jars I got out of this batch, none ended up in our fridge.

these tomatoes aren’t just tomatoes, they’re a symbol of my festive selflessness

Instead I gave a jar to our neighbours, our dogsitter and my acupuncturist.

Some people have reservations about handing out homemade food as gifts at Christmas. I don’t.

If you’re giving me a gift then you’re likely a friend and I don’t have to fear you slipping anything untoward into my food. Cooking something from scratch shows me that you’ve put time and thought into it.

here they are with more ‘rustic’ (ie down n’ dirty) labels. Remember to label them with the date they were made, so recipients can eat accordingly

Also, far from it being a ‘cheaper’ option, in many cases it can work out more expensive than picking up a generic gift off a shelf.

In short, anyone wanting to give me food is very welcome. My belly thanks you in advance.

Tomato & Chili Jam (fills 3 9oz jars)

*slightly adapted from Mari Williams

• 1 pt cherry tomatoes, chopped, halved
• 1 pt plum tomatoes, chopped, quartered
• 1 red onion
• 3 large red chilis (I used fresno chilis, any mild variety will do), de-seeded and finely chopped
• 2 inch piece root ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp chinese five-spice powder
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or any dark sugar)

1. Heat the red onion and tomatoes in a saucepan over a low heat.
2. Add the chilis, ginger, five-spice, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer until mixture turns very thick (the original recipe suggested that this would take 30 minutes but I found this to be crazy talk. It took more like an hour and a half).

Like this? You might also like:

• Baked Red Onion with Walnut Salsa
• Pepita Pesto
• Classic Marinara Sauce

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