Roasted Eggplant Jam
Recipe by Amy Robb (edible Northeast Florida)
1 pint. Make ahead.
- 1 medium eggplant, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 large red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup loose parsley, chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons capers
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 loaf of rustic bread
Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Combine eggplant, red onion, and garlic in a bowl. Toss with olive oil and tomato paste until vegetables are well-coated. Spread evenly on baking pan and roast for 25 minutes.
Remove baking pan from oven, and return the roasted eggplant mixture to the mixing bowl. Add chopped parsley, red wine vinegar, capers, and salt. Blend well with a wooden spoon, breaking up softened eggplant. Final jam should be thick, but easily spreadable.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Make ahead.
1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cored and cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Oven-Dried
For oven-dried tomatoes, cut tomatoes in half and sprinkle cut sides with kosher salt. Place tomato halves, cut sides down, on paper towels. Let stand 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Arrange tomato halves, cut sides up, in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until edges of tomatoes curl (the tomatoes will feel dry to the touch). Remove from oven and cool. These will keep for a week, covered, in the refrigerator, or for up to a month in the freezer.
Sun-Dried
For sun-dried tomatoes, simply slice tomatoes in half, place on a raised screen, lightly sprinkle with salt, and place in the hot sun until dry.
Depending on your weather conditions, this could take anywhere from four days to two weeks. You’ll want to cover them with cheesecloth, raised so it does not touch the tomatoes, to keep out any critters and provide proper ventilation. You will also need to bring them in during the night, lest the evening dew undoes your drying process.
Serve eggplant jam smeared on rustic bread and topped with oven-dried tomato.
