Spicy Serrano Tomato Preserves
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Yield: Makes approximately 3 cups
Recipe
3-pounds fresh tomatoes, washed, dried, stemmed and cut into large chunks
½ cup finely chopped brown/yellow onion
2 (approximately 3-inch) finely minced serrano chile peppers – stems, seeds and membranes removed (unless you want even more heat — then leave the membranes for sure!)
½ to 1 cup granulated sugar (see notes)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Add the tomatoes, onion and peppers to a medium-sized sauce pot.
Sprinkle with the sugar and drizzle with the lime juice. Mix well and turn the heat to high.
Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat to low and let it simmer gently until it’s nicely thickened, about 2 hours.
Let the preserves cool completely before refrigerating. (Wrapped tightly, this will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks.)
Notes
In the middle of the summer, tomatoes should be super sweet, so less sugar is needed. If at the end of the cooking time, it’s not sweet enough for you, you can add a bit more sugar, and let it cook a bit longer.
From cookingontheweekends.com