What’s in Season: Tomato-Bacon Jam With Onions and Garlic

You don't have to love fruits and vegetables to take advantage of the local farmer's market. Do it to support local business and farmers; do it if reducing your carbon footprint is a concern to you, or do it to try a new recipe using produce you can certain of its freshness and quality. This month's featured ingredient is everyone's favourite culinary vegetable, the tomato. Originating in Central and South America, tomatoes can be eaten may ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes, sauces, salads, and drinks. This month's recipe makes excellent use of the tomato's natural umami flavour, and can be used on grilled cheese, crackers, or anything you would put ketchup on (as long as it's not a well-done steak).

Ingredients:

230 g thick-cut bacon, chopped
15 g brown sugar
2.5 g freshly ground black pepper
1.25 g teaspoon crushed red pepper
120 mL fresh ripe diced tomatoes
120 mL pure maple syrup
60 mL balsamic vinegar
30 mL Dijon mustard
15 mL Worcestershire sauce
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf

1. Cook the bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes until browned. Add the onions and garlic and cook them until they are translucent and softened, stirring everything for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess bacon grease from the pan.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 1 hour uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened to a jam-like consistency. Discard bay leaf afterwards.
3. Transfer everything to a blender and pulse to combine, leaving some chunks. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Satisfy Your Jerk Chicken Fix

When you get a craving for jerk chicken, it needs to be satisfied immediately. It becomes not just a food you want, but the only food you want. To answer that need for sweet, savoury, spicy meat, I have two go-to spots in Ottawa: Bananas in the east; and The Caribbean Cruiser representing the westside. As spoiled as I am with these choices, I rely on a version of the recipe found in one of my favourite cookbooks for the days I don't want to go out in public to eat; it may take a while to complete this dish, but it is worth it. It definitely puts to shame the "jerk" roast chicken offering currently being sold at a local supermarket; your craving deserves better than that.

Ingredients:

20 whole allspice berries
10 sprigs thyme
5 whole cloves
3 star anise pods
2 habaneros, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped
1 bottle cola
juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
1 whole nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
1 5 cm piece ginger
1.4 kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
170 g packed brown sugar
15 g kosher salt
15 g browning seasoning, optional (look for it in the "international" section of your supermarket)
canola oil

1.  Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and cover them with kosher salt. Pour cola in the bowl until the chicken is covered, stirring to dissolve the salt. Place the entire bowl into the refrigerator, covering it with plastic wrap for 12-24 hours.
2.  Combine and grind until fine the nutmeg, allspice, star anise, cinnamon stick, and cloves using a blender (a spice grinder or mortar and pestle can also be used). Place the ground-up spices in a small pan over low heat to toast, moving them constantly for about 2 minutes. When the spices are nice and fragrant, pour them into a blender.
3.  Cut the ginger root in half lengthwise, with the skin still on. Char the root until the skin is blackened (on the grill, under the broiler, in the toaster oven - you figure it out), then roughly chop it, and add it to the spices in the blender, along with the brown sugar, the citrus juices, the peppers, the garlic, the browning seasoning (if using), the thyme, and the salt, and blend on high until everything is smooth.
4.  Take the chicken from the fridge, and place the chicken in a large resealable bag. Add the marinade, seal the bag, and allow the meat to get covered. Put the bag in the fridge and allow the thighs to marinate for at least 8 hours or up to two days.
5.  Get your grill ready for medium-high heat. Grease the grates or your grill pan with the canola oil, and place the thighs, skin down onto the grill over direct heat or in the pan. Cook for about ten minutes, or until the skin releases itself from the cooking surface. Flip the thighs over, and cook for another ten minutes, or until the juices run clear, or you get a reading of 74°C from a meat thermometer.