Pepper-infused tomato jelly

Components

• Four fully matured tomatoes
• 2 bell peppers
• One garlic clove
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar (tea variety)
• Half a teaspoon of red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of ground coffee
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt according to your preference

Setup phase

1. Peel and slice the garlic clove thinly. Wash and dry the sweet peppers. Cut each pepper lengthwise in half. Use a spoon to remove and discard the seeds, then slice the halves thinly. Tip: To prevent burning your eyes from spicy pepper residue on your fingers, rub oil or olive oil on your hands after cutting the peppers—capsaicin, the compound that causes the burning sensation, dissolves in fat. Afterwards, wash your hands with soap to remove the oil.

1. To peel the tomatoes: bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. While waiting, wash the tomatoes and make an X-shaped cut on the bottom of each one. Have a bowl ready with ice water. Once the water is boiling, place the tomatoes in the pot; when the skin starts to loosen, remove them with a slotted spoon and immediately transfer them to the ice water bath. The sudden temperature change helps the skin loosen. Then, use the X-cut to peel off and discard the tomato skins.
2. On a cutting board, halve the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Roughly place the halves and move them to a medium-sized pan. Add the rest of the ingredients, season with a pinch of salt, and stir thoroughly.
3. Place it over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for approximately 25 minutes, keeping the lid slightly ajar and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom.
4. Remove from heat and blend (using a mixer or blender) until the jelly is smooth. Using a ladle, pour the hot jelly into a sterilized glass jar, leaving approximately 2 cm of space from the top. Seal the jar while the jelly is still hot to create a vacuum.

Note: This is the method to sterilize glass jars.

Preservation

The jelly can be stored for up to 2 months at room temperature if vacuum-sealed, up to 6 months in the freezer, and for 1 month in the refrigerator once opened.