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Spicing things up in the kitchen

The unofficial end of summer is here. I have been busy getting my butt kicked inside a kitchen for the last four months and I don’t think I am any tanner than I was back in April. Don’t get me wrong, I love every minute of it but I do miss a few things. Such as the sun shining on my face or maybe the smell of my kitchen at home. The late hours keep me nocturnal and the long shifts keep my home stove very clean.

The month of August always seems to bring a never ending supply of plump and juicy tomatoes and at this point I’m all tomatoed out. Ugh, tomato sauce again?! I don’t think I could bear to eat another tomato sandwich and did I mention I am sick of tomatoes in my salad?

I know you’re thinking, how could I just outight get sick of tomatoes, they don’t always appear with such plumpness and juiciness throughout the year, I should be happy and take advantage, right? Wrong. If I see another tomato, I think I might…

Okay, I’m being dramatic. It’s hard to keep my emotions towards food to myself. I find it sometimes necessary to share— well, maybe I don’t need to share everything but I think you’re catching my drift on this one. So instead of slapping together another tomato sandwich or letting them rot to pieces on the counter, I cooked some up with a few spices and some other tasty ingredients, what you end up with is — drum roll please — spicy tomato jam.

A complete tomato transformation has taken place in the kitchen and I don’t think I could be any happier. Not only are the flavors outdoing themselves but the fact that I could make jars of this stuff and replace ketchup completely is amazing. Mind blown.

So before I get straight to the point I would like to advise you that you may find yourself consuming more of this than you like, which is definitely okay by me, that is why I am supplying you with a 2-quart recipe. Not quite enough to make it to next August but enough for you to enjoy the summer month of August for just a little bit longer.

The recipe is fairly simple if followed correctly. The only advice I can give you is to please use a stainless steel pot, it will relieve you from the sticky mess that can occur if left unsupervised for too long, suggesting that in the final 15-20 minutes of cook time that you watch your pot closely. Please enjoy in exuberant amounts and apply to anything and everything.

2014 0830 tomato jam 2
Spicy Tomato Jam

Yield: About 2 Quarts

Ingredients

5 pounds tomatoes
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon red chili flakes

• Bring a pot, sufficient enough to fit all of the tomatoes, of water to a boil. slice a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Fill a large bowl with half ice and half water to create an ice bath, set aside. When the water comes to a boil drop in the tomatoes. Remove after 30 seconds or when the skin starts to easily peel off and place in the ice bath. Finely chop all the tomatoes, being sure to remove the core.
• Place all ingredients in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to heat to a simmer. Stirring regularly, simmer until the mixture reduces to a sticky jam. This can take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• After the jam has cooked down to the right consistency remove from heat. If canning, continue the process from here, otherwise cool down the jam before placing in an air tight container. Keep refrigerated.

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Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig
Kayleigh is a sous chef at the Meadow Club in Southampton. A Riverhead native, she is married and the mother of a daughter born in December 2016. Email Kayleigh