Smoky Tomato & Date Jam
A finger-licking jam to devour with everything!
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I adore tomatoes. I believe you know that by now. And I always dreamed of making my own ketchup. As my taste slowly changed from a lifelong love of the classic Heinz ketchup to organic Heinz ketchup which I am convinced tastes much better, and now to the more textured and more tomato-ey Mutti Ketchup which I assure you is far more superior to the aforementioned brand, I believe I am closer to that dream than ever before.
What I love about cooking the season is not just cooking according to a spreadsheet of what one ‘should’ be cooking during the season. Take tomatoes, for example, as I write this we are in September and in the UK the weather peeked at around 21 degrees today. It’s bloody warm for this time of the year, with no sign of frost, and freshly grown tomatoes alongside courgettes and many other summer favourites are still plump and juicy. And so while many are quick to switch to autumnal cooking, I am enjoying every bit of summer, sunshine and all the fresh tomatoes that I can find. And with the end of the sunshine season in mind, there is no better time than now to bottle these treasures into jam.
Darling, let’s make jam! Not only because I have a wonderful recipe from Africana that you will enjoy in lots of recipes within the book, but also one that you will love with chips, sandwiches, wraps, in curries and many more dishes. Just look at that sandwich above. It truly is a gift that keeps on giving. This is a sweet, spicy with notes of caramel, utterly bewitchingly fragranced tomato jam that has knocked out all my previous ketchup loves out of the park.
Ingredient Spotlight
One of the ingredients that makes this jam so bewitching is the Uda - also known as selim pepper or grains of selim.
This is one of my favourite spices, a long, dark, smoked pod with its mysteriously musky flavour and aroma. It is known by many names – in my mother’s Ibo/Igbo dialect in Nigeria, it is called uda, while in other parts of Africa it is known as Senegal or Kani pepper or Ethiopian pepper. In the book, it is the magic ingredient in Smoky Tomato & Date Jam (see page 257) and in several soups and stews. Lightly smash it and drop into soups and stews, grind it with tomatoes, onions or with a curry base, or place the pods in a bouquet garni and remove before serving. The pods can also be crushed or ground to a powder. Mix ground Uda with crushed sea salt for smoky salt you can use as a finishing salt for steak, mushrooms.
I love Uda in a variety of soups and sauces, especially in tomato sauces. It adds a wonderful smoky hit to sweet tomatoes, and can you just imagine how it emboldens the mild sand creamy halloumi? It was a revelation when I used it in one of our most popular tomato recipes, the Crispy Halloumi with Sweet Peppers & Cherry Tomatoes. A recipe that is lovely with fresh tomatoes for as long as we can get the very best, and easily enjoyed with canned cherry tomatoes or plums.
Don’t miss the Cook’s Tips after the recipe below. This time I share a fab tip from one of our dear members. Stay ‘tuned’ for a brand new and fabulous recipe. One that will bid farewell to the season with much adaptability for more seasons to come. You know how much I love adaptable recipes that inspire you to use what you love and what you have readily available in your part of the world.
Frying Pan Pizza with Smoky Tomato & Date Jam coming up! I told you, this jam is a gift that keeps on giving!
If you have made the Smoky Tomato & Date Jam, how have you enjoyed using it in your daily feasts? Your comments and emails are always treasured.
***Exclusive Recipe from my cookbook, Africana***
Watch Here: Here’s a video of how I cooked this at home
Smoky Tomato & Date Jam
This jam is a treasure I am thrilled to share it with you. Dark, rich, smoky and sweet, this could well be your new favourite ketchup. A wonderful addition to an African afternoon tea or dolloped onto roasted plantains for canapés, served alongside chips or spread on a chapati for My Golden Ugandan Rolex (see page 66).
Ingredients