My Homemade Ketchup

I love mustard but, ketchup is an American icon for hamburgers and French fries!

Years ago, Dad not only had the garden at home but after his retirement, he started the first community garden in Louisville and had a garden plot there as well.  The amount of tomatoes he raised was amazing.  

Mom canned a lot of tomatoes, made tomato juice and then she made ketchup.  Bubba reminded me of how much he likes homemade ketchup and that I haven’t made it in a long while.  So, yesterday I made ketchup.  The aroma of it cooking is unbelievable, very spicy and good. 

This is sweet, tangy and spicy and it takes time for it to cook down.  It’s easy but, it’s definitely not for an impatient cook because it takes time!  I ended up with close to 3 pints of ketchup from this recipe.  

I let it cook down until it was very thick, mainly because Bill likes it thick, not “runny” like Mom made it.    If you don’t want it so thick, cook a shorter period of time and you will have a higher yield.  Another good thing is that you know exactly what is in it, no preservatives!

If you like ketchup, you should really try the homemade kind!  Add more sugar if you like it sweeter, more vinegar for a bite and then start in with the spices until it suits your taste.  Add more red pepper flakes if you like some heat with it.  Experiment!

Waiting to be skinned and chopped

Cooking with the spice bundle

Strained and cooking down ~ dark, rich color from the spices

Ummm, mmmm!!!

My Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients:

½ bushel canning tomatoes, about 30 pounds

3 large onions, cut into large chunks

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons allspice

2 tablespoons onion powder

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground coriander

10 garlic cloves

6 cinnamon sticks

5 tablespoons peppercorns

3 tablespoons mustard seeds

2 tablespoons celery seeds

Method:

Wash, peel and chop tomatoes.

Add to a very large heavy pot and bring to a boil.

Add onions, vinegar and sugars.

Lower heat to a simmer.

Stir in next 9 ingredients.  Mix well.

Cut a square of cheesecloth.

Place on the cheesecloth the garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, mustard seeds and celery seeds.

Tie into a bundle, drop into tomato mixture.

Stir it all well.

Cook for about 1-2 hours until it is about half of what you started with, stirring frequently.

Remove cheesecloth bundle, set aside.

Carefully put tomato mixture through a sieve into a large bowl.

Return strained mixture and cheesecloth bundle to pot.

Continue to simmer, stirring very frequently so as not to burn.

This could take another 30 minutes to an hour, depending on heat level and how thick you like it.

Cook until it reaches the desired consistency.

Pour into sterilized jars.

Cool.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate.

It’s lick-your-lips delicious!

Visit my friend, Linda’s blog, My Kind of Cooking, for the prize winning recipe at the fair and for a chance to win her great cookbook!

Burnt Tomato Halves

“Turn a classic summer favorite into a smoking-hot side dish.”

Do you like some foods when burnt, blackened, or charred?  You know, like marshmallows ~ they have to be charred!  And it used to be that I wouldn’t eat toast unless it was burnt.  I’ve changed on that some, especially when eating breakfast at a restaurant, they just don’t get it and usually won’t do it! 

But, have you ever tried tomatoes with a char?  I had not until just recently when I saw the above quote and recipe in Guideposts magazine.  We love tomatoes here and Bill and Bubba like to eat tomatoes just like I would eat an apple.  I haven’t gone that far yet. 

So give this a try; it’s easy with just a few ingredients and really tasty!

Burnt Tomato Halves

Ingredients:

4 firm, ripe tomatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

16 black peppercorns*

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

Method:

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on the surface.

Cut tomatoes in half.

Brush cut side of tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Place tomatoes cut side down in skillet.

Don’t move them for 8-10 minutes or they’ll burst.

The bottoms of tomatoes will show a black line of char all around when they’re done.

Using a spatula, lift tomatoes off hot surface and invert onto a plate, burnt side up.

Sprinkle with peppercorns and oregano, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

*Note:  If whole peppercorns are problematic, they can be ground or coarsely cracked. 

Serves 4

Have you cooked your tomatoes this way?