Ingredients
- To serve as bruschetta:
- Turning tomatoes into jam means more flavor per bite and a spreadable topping for everything from bread to burgers.
- 5 lbs Roma or Plum tomatoes, halved
- 2 T olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ c dry red wine, such as Spanish Riojo
- 3 T agave nectar or honey
- 2 T aged (for at least 4 years) balsamic vinegar
- 5 whole cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 baguette, sliced into ½-inch slices and toasted
- 1 lb manchego cheese, thinly sliced
- Tools
- Sheet pan
- Food processor
- Cheesecloth
- Large, heavy bottom saucepan
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350° F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place tomatoes cut sides down, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about one hour or until skin begins to crinkle and brown. Remove and cool slightly.
Once tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skins and carefully scrape out seeds. (It’s OK if some seeds remain.) Transfer tomatoes to the bowl of a large food processor and pulse several times to loosely chop tomatoes—you want them slightly chunky. Place cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon in a small circle of cheesecloth and tie with a piece of baker’s twine. In a large, heavy bottom saucepan, combine tomatoes, wine, agave or honey, balsamic, and spice bundle. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often. Cook until tomatoes have reached a thick, jam-like consistency, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and discard spice bundle. Season to taste with salt. Let cool completely before serving. To serve, place a slice of manchego on top of each baguette slice and top with a spoonful or two of jam.
Variations: Think beyond jam and serve as a condiment—it’s the world’s yummiest ketchup. OR Make panini by slathering the outsides of two slices of bread with butter, filling with manchego cheese and jam, and grilling. OR Sub out the manchego for a blue cheese, like Spanish Cabrales.