Every year I plant tomatoes and every year, for a period of a few weeks, I have more tomatoes than any one family could ever use. I have some recipes on this blog that call for a lot of homegrown tomatoes: Fresh Tomato Lasagna and Tomato Tart jump to mind because we make them every summer. This year we have added two wonderful new recipes, Homemade Tomato Ketchup and Tomato Jam.
This is my recipe for Tomato Ketchup. The recipe originated with Saveur Magazine, was adapted by someone, and then adapted again by myself. I switched from using whole spices wrapped in cheesecloth to ground spices stirred in at the beginning. So much easier!
This ketchup is DELICIOUS. We even taste-tested, side-by-side with Heinz ketchup, this ketchup, and McDonald’s fries. Eight testers, and not one chose the Heinz over this ketchup. One tester even complained about the gluey texture of the Heinz ketchup, something she had never noticed before (OK, so that tester was me)… ?
The ketchup is EASY to make, but it does involve a lot of dishes and utensils: cutting board, sharp knife, stockpot, wooden spoon, a blender, a sieve, measuring spoons, and small bowl. But really…, that’s not too much for a six month’s supply of delicious homemade ketchup with no preservatives, no artificial flavourings, and no chemical thickening agents, is it?
Homemade Tomato Ketchup
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pounds homegrown tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1-2 Anaheim chilies, seeded and chopped, optional
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed or diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon chile flakes, optional
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 oz. (125 grams) light brown sugar
To finish, optional:
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons cold water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all ingredients, except for the cornstarch and cold water, in a large stockpot.
- Simmer mixture over medium heat until tomatoes and chiles are soft and onions are translucent and limp, about 45-60 minutes.
- Turn off heat, and let mixture cool (because blending hot liquids can be dangerous and messy). Remove bay leaves.
- In batches (probably 3 batches, depending on the size of your blender and temperature of tomato mixture), place tomato mixture into a blender and blend until very smooth.
- Strain the ketchup through a fine-mesh strainer and return to the cooking pot (straining removes seeds and peels). Press on the solid pieces to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
- Once all the pureed liquid has been returned to the pan, cook over medium-low heat for an additional 30-45 minutes or until thickened to your preference.
- OPTIONAL: If your ketchup doesn’t thicken to your liking (some tomatoes have more liquid in them than other tomatoes), mix a slurry of cornstarch and cold water. Bring tomato mixture to a rapid boil and, stirring constantly, pour in the cornstarch slurry. Continue to boil and stir for a full minute.
- Remove ketchup from heat and let cool.
- Ketchup can be stored in a sealed container (preferably glass) in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks and frozen for 6 months or more.
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today. Tomato Jam will be up soon!
