It’s been a warm June in New York, and the tomato plants in our Southampton garden seem to double in size every few days. It won’t be too long before we have fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Here’s a recipe to help you celebrate the upcoming tomato season. It’s a traditional Moroccan “kemia” or small dish usually served at the beginning of a meal. It has the familiar rich, concentrated flavor of slow cooked tomatoes, but with a Moroccan twist: the dish is sweetened with honey and spiced with cinnamon and ginger. It sounds a bit strange, I know, but it’s delicious. The honey nicely balances the natural acidity of the tomato, and the spices give the dish a pleasantly warm finish on the palate. It reminds you that tomatoes are, after all, a fruit.
This spread makes a delicious cocktail snack with sliced baguette, pita or crackers. It’s nice alone, but I like to serve it as a complement to a bowl of hummous or a tangy cheese, such as a nice block of sheep’s milk feta.
Recipe
(adapted from Sweet Tomato Puree with Cinnamon and Sesame Seeds in Flavors of Morocco by Ghillie Basan)
Ingredients
6-8 large ripe tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish, pour the olive oil over them and bake them for 20-30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them rest until they’re cool enough to handle.
3. Skin the tomatoes (this should be easy after roasting), cut them into quarters and remove the seeds.
4. Dice the flesh of the tomatoes and put them in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of the roasting oil. Stir in the honey, cinnamon and ginger.
5. Cook over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and jam-like. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If the mixture gets too dry, just add a little water.)
6. Cool to room temperature, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve with bread or crackers. The spread will keep refrigerated for a couple of days.
