can you spot the heinz?
After 44 quarts of tomatoes, I got kind of tired of canning the darn things. What’s a girl to do? Make ketchup of course. We had watched that lovely show–Jamie at Home–and got inspired by his version. Why not try it?
And we can’t do anything half way–so instead of making one, we tried three!
Here they are simmering away.
from left: Jamie's, Currywurst, Blender in foreground
We had a nice time doing our big first sample dinner. We made some “Dad fries”–aka homemade potato chips as a vehicle.
potato chips and tomato salad
After a lot of sampling we made our judgements. YUM. They were all good! The blender version is sweeter than the others. The Jamie Oliver is interesting flavors–I made it a tad vinegary–taste as you add it you can’t go back. And the Currywurst is probably the stand out for me. The girl prefers the Blender version, the rest of us probably pick the Currywurst, though I think the doode might also choose the Blender version if he had to choose.
Here’s the recipes:
1 large red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 bulb fennel, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 a fresh red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
Bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 cloves
Sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound amazing cherry or plum tomatoes, halved plus 1 pound canned plum tomatoes, chopped or 2 pounds yellow, orange or green tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soft brown sugar
Place all the vegetables in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with a big splash of olive oil and the ginger, garlic, chili, basil stalks, coriander seeds and cloves. Season with the pepper and a good pinch of salt.
Cook gently over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until softened, stirring every so often. Add all the tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the sauce reduces by half.
Add the basil leaves, then whiz the sauce in a food processor or with a hand blender and push it through a sieve twice, to make it smooth and shiny. Put the sauce into a clean pan and add the vinegar and the sugar. Place the sauce on the heat and simmer until it reduces and thickens to the consistency of tomato ketchup. At this point, correct the seasoning to taste.
BLENDER KETCHUP
from Small Batch Preserving
Makes 3 cups
7 cups chopped, peeled plum tomatoes, about 4 pounds
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Combine tomatoes, onion and red pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a large stainless-steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar and salt. Tie cinnamon, allspice, cloves, peppercorn and bay leaf in cheesecloth and add to saucepan. Return to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, stirring frequently until volume is reduced by half or until mixture rounds up on a spoon without separating, about 90 minutes. Remove cheesecloth bag. Cool and store in a large jar or container in the refrigerator. I forgot to peel the tomatoes. It wasn’t too bad, but next time I think i’ll peel them!
Currywurst Sauce from Saveur.
Heat 2 tbsp. canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add 1 finely chopped large yellow onion; cook until soft, 8–10 minutes.
Add 2 tbsp. curry powder and
1 tbsp. hot paprika; cook for 1 minute more (I used a combination of smoked paprika and regular).
Add 2 cups whole peeled canned tomatoes (with juice) into pan.
Add 1⁄2 cup sugar,
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar, and
salt to taste; stir well.
Increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 minutes. Purée sauce in a blender until smooth. Strain sauce through a sieve. Serve hot over sausage. Makes about 1 1⁄2 cups.
I processed all of these in a boiling water bath in 8 oz jars for 5-10 minutes.
turdacres 