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Sauces

Homemade Ketchup Recipe – The Great American Condiment and My All Time Favorite

Ketchup has always held a special place in my culinary eye.  As a kid, I put the stuff on literally everything – even chicken, steak and pork chops – rather than just the standard french fries and burgers (which I of course enjoyed also).  These days, I’ve cut way back on my ketchup consumption, but I still like it on the standard stuff.  In fact one of the times I really enjoy it is at breakfast time on eggs and omelets.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think the Heinz company makes a great product – their ketchup really hasn’t wavered in quality over the many years – they’ve stayed very consistent which is great.  I’ve always been tempted to make my own ketchup and when I found Jamie Oliver’s recipe in a recent cookbook, I thought hey, why not give it a shot.  My recipe is a lot like Jamie’s, with a few variations.

Being winter time, I unfortunately had to opt for standard grape tomatoes, instead of those awesome multi-colored heirloom tomatoes that will enable you to create cool looking yellow and green (or even purple) ketchups. This variation turned out really well, though I may have added a little bit too much vinegar.  The straining of the sauce through a sieve is a critical step in the cooking process, as it gives the condiment that great clean sheen and smooth texture.  Do this multiple times if you can.  Here’s how to make your own ketchup happen:

• Around 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (best quality you can find) or the equivalent amount of awesome heirloom tomatoes – halved or chopped
• 2 medium sun dried tomatoes – soaked for at least 45 minutes in hot water, then chopped finely
• 1/2 bulb fennel – chopped
• 1 large onion – roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 large celery stick – cubed
• 1 large clove garlic – diced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger – peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp. dried basil flakes
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes (more if you want it spicier)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar – start with 1/2 cup and add more to your taste
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp. white pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Start by prepping your vegetables.  Once your onion, fennel, celery, garlic and ginger are ready to go, add them to a heavy bottomed pot such as a dutch oven and add the olive oil ahead of time.  Add in the coriander seeds,  pepper flakes, basil, sun dried tomatoes, salt and white pepper and cook the combination slowly over medium/low heat.  Soften the vegetables, stirring often for somewhere in the range of 20-30 minutes.  Be sure not to brown the vegetables at all if you can help it.

Next, add the tomatoes into the mix, stirring to incorporate.  Add around 1 cup of water into the pot as well and bring the liquid to a boil (turning the heat up a bit).  Reduce the liquid a good amount (by about half).

Next add the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree for a minute or two until all of the chunks have been reduced to almost nothing.  Add the puree to a medium fine sieve and strain through the sieve into a clean pot – do this a couple of times at least to get the right texture.  Bring the heat back (on low) and add in the vinegar and brown sugar, stirring to incorporate.  Cook down as you wish to the right texture and consistency.  That’s it!  Can this sauce as you wish and enjoy the tomato goodness.