[1] Homemade ketchup [2] with burgers (photos courtesy GoodEggs) and [3] on franks (photo courtesy Applegate). |
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If you’re considering making something for a cookout, how about homemade ketchup?
You can make your own ketchup in just ten minutes of prep time, plus 45 minutes of cooking. You can choose a better sweetener, avoiding high fructose corn syrup by substituting agave*, cane sugar, honey, maple syrup or non-caloric sweetener.
And you can add specialty seasonings such as chipotle, curry, garlic, horseradish, jalapeño and sriracha.
The following recipe is from Good Eggs of San Francisco. Here’s an alternative ketchup recipe made with honey (instead of brown sugar and molasses), cloves (instead of cumin) and coconut oil (instead of olive oil).
RECIPE: HOMEMADE TOMATO KETCHUP
Ingredients For 1 Pint
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cans (28 ounces each) canned whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
Flavor Variations
Instead of the allspice, cloves and cumin, you can flavor the ketchup with other seasonings.
Divide the base ketchup into half-cup test batches and test different flavors. Flavoring a half cup at a time enables you to adjust the seasonings to your particular taste.
Chipotle Ketchup: 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin, chipotle chile powder and lime juice
Cranberry Ketchup: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh or frozen cranberries, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.
Curry Ketchup: 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice.
Garlic Ketchup: 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon lime juice.
Horseradish Ketchup: 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish.
Jalapeño Ketchup: 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped canned jalapeños, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.
Sriracha Ketchup: 1 teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.
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You can also make hickory-smoke ketchup with liquid smoke, add lemon zest, and so forth.
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*When using agave, use half the amount since it’s twice as sweet as the other sweeteners.
Preparation
1. ADD 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot and place over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Cook for 3 minutes, until translucent; then add the garlic.
2. AFTER another 4 minutes, add the tomatoes (including the liquid), vinegar, salt, allspice, cayenne and black pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, until the tomatoes have broken down. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
3. POUR the mixture into a blender and pulse until it’s a smooth purée. Be careful: Blending a hot liquid requires extra attention. Using a dish towel, hold down the lid tightly. An immersion blender is a superior alternative for puréeing hot liquids.
4. POUR the purée back into the pot and add the the brown sugar and molasses. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes uncovered, until the mixture has thickened. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week.
THE HISTORY OF KETCHUP
The concept was brought to England from Southeast Asia in the late 1600s, and had no tomatoes. The first printed recipe for kachop was an early version of what we know as Worcestershire Sauce.
Check out the history of ketchup.
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