I’m sorry, Mom, belatedly. I’m sure now we’d think that
homemade ketchup you put up that one year was really wonderful, and a great
improvement over the store-bought generic-tasting stuff. Oh, how we dissed it.
I don’t know how many jars she put up, but we turned up our noses at it and she
wound up having to eat them all up by herself. Kids are such a harsh audience for
change.
So all these years later I decided it was finally time to
try making my own ketchup. Pretty tasty. Can’t wait to make some fries to dip it in.
Here are three takes on tomato condiments to use up the
tomato supply.
Ketchup
From Saveur magazine
Ingredients
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
¼ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon chile flakes
¼ teaspoon whole allspice
2 pounds tomatoes, roughly chopped (you’ll be pushing them
through a strainer, so don’t fuss about seeds)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup white vinegar
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 onion, chopped
1 Anaheim chile, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Method
Wrap cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, celery seeds, chile flakes
and allspice in a cheesecloth bundle. Add to a large saucepan along with
tomatoes, salt, vinegar, brown sugar, onion, chile and garlic. Heat over medium
heat until onions and chiles are very soft, about 40 minutes.
Remove spice bundle. Transfer tomato mixture to a blender
and puree. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer. Return to saucepan and cook
over medium heat, stirring periodically, until thickened, 45 minutes to an
hour. Adjust seasoning with salt, sugar or vinegar if needed. Makes about 2½ cups.
Rating: Looks
like the ketchup you’re used to; close to the same color and consistency. But
it’s subtly better, with more depth of flavor and a hint of heat. I suspect
this recipe would have gone over better all those years ago, because I seem to
remember the recipe Mother made was more chunky, more like a chutney……
Hot tomato chutney
Adapted from “The Herbal Pantry,” a flavor-packed little
volume by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead that I got years ago and have yet to
cook my way all the way through. This recipe is
a must-make every year since I first tried it.
Ingredients
4 to 5 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 red pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger (or 3 tablespoons peeled and
minced fresh ginger)
½ cup golden raisins
2 chopped jalapenos
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Method
Combine everything but cilantro in a large saucepan and cook
over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Then cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring
periodically, until mixture thickens. Add cilantro and cook for a few minutes
more. Then pack into hot, sterilized jars. Wipe tops of jars with a clean cloth
and seal with jar lids and rings. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. (Or
if you’re not up for canning, just make sure to leave enough head space in the
jar, seal, cool and freeze until ready to thaw and use.) Makes 3 to 4 pints.
Rating: Slightly
more sweet than heat, this is a gem of a recipe that works well as a topping
for roast pork, and is great on turkey or beef sandwiches. I pack it in tiny
jars to tuck into holiday gift baskets.
Tomato, cucumber and
red pepper relish
Ingredients
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Method
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt
and pepper.
Rating: Not
horrible, but not a wower. I served it first as a relish on pork, as which it
was OK. Then I tried it as a salsa for chips, adding in a bit of cilantro,
which helped a bit. Then I added the leftovers of that combination to cooked
quinoa, feta and chick peas, which turned out to be its highest and best use. Two out of three isn’t bad. It did help me use up one more cucumber from the garden.
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