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It's tomato season again. There's so many, so why not make ketchup again. It was so good last time, I could hardly stomach the bottled stuff when I ran out. So this time, I got serious. I check out what Cook's Illustrated had to say and then revised my recipe yet again. You can be a purist, but I wanted some something sweet and a bit tangy this time. Go ahead, be bold, make ketchup!
Ingredients: (note: adjust quantities to your desire. This makes about 3 quarts of ketchup)
- 20 lbs tomatoes
- 2 large onions
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or other sweetener)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil (or other fat)
- 15 cloves
- 5 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons celery seed
- 2 tablespoons allspice
- salt to taste
First things first. Get those tomatoes peeled.
Boil a large pot of water. Core all your tomatoes.
Using a slotted spoon, place tomatoes in water for up to a minute or until skins split.
Remove with spoon and immediately place in large bowl of ice water.
Put next batch in boiling water. While waiting, remove skins for first batch.
Go on like this until all tomatoes are peeled and happy.
Now get ingredients up to garlic sauteing in half the oil until translucent.
Add tomatoes and veggie mix to a food processor until desired consistency is attained.
Return to pot and add vinegar, sugar, and paste.
Saute cloves in oil for 10 minutes to infuse. Remove cloves and add oil to sauce.
Gather all your seasoning in a cheese cloth and tie with a string. Add to sauce.
Cook sauce on simmer for a few hours until desired consistency. I simmered mine for 3 hours. Don't forget to stir occasionally.
Ketchup can be stored in jar in fridge and frozen in zip lock bags. Enjoy ketchup all year round.
