Kirk and I have tried out making our own condiments lately and this is our second ketchup (I need to figure out what he put into the first recipe we made so I can post it). We haven’t tried to emulate ketchup from a store, why not have fun with it after all? Try new flavors you wouldn’t have thought of, play with the ingredients. And homemade ketchup gets better tasting the longer it ages in the refrigerator. Our first batch we were not so sure of, it was almost bitter but we came back 2 months later and it was fantastic – it had mellowed. There is a lot of planning with handmade condiments, no running to the store if we forget. It is a long process of cooking and storage. It is worth it though. While I am planning on letting this batch mellow for a month or so in the refrigerator, I have a great pizza recipe coming tomorrow where I used it as the sauce – it was amazing tasting used that way.
Side note: I’ll be honest. Tomatoes are very expensive in the wet side of Washington except for about 2 months of the year. I used a combination fresh and canned to keep the cost realistic. If it was August I would use all fresh. But it isn’t.
Spicy Ketchup
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 16 to 18 ounces ripe fresh tomatoes, roma or plum
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes (or use 1 lb more fresh)
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 ounces fresh basil leaves
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
- Salt to taste
Directions:
Heat a large pot over medium, add the oil, onion, fennel, celery, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds, black pepper and red pepper flakes, sauté until softened.
Add the tomatoes (if using canned add the liquid) along with 1½ cups water. Let simmer until reduced by half, stirring often. This took between 30 and 45 minutes.
Take off the heat and set aside. Pack the basil leaves in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, add the sauce over. Process on high for a minute or until smooth. (For safety drape a towel over the top of the blender)
Press the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, discard any pulp left.
Wash your pot out, add the sauce to it and return to the burner over medium-low heat. Add the vinegar and let simmer slowly until is as thick as you’d like. Add in the sugar and adjust the seasoning, but remember – the flavor will develop over time. Let cool and bottle, store in the refrigerator.
~Sarah
Proudly made in our Vitamix Blender:
