Has anyone here made their own ketchup before? Fine Cooking over the years has published

C

carianna-in-wa

Well-known member
a couple of different recipe that I've always thought about trying, but just never got around to it. I'd love to hear if anyone thinks that it's worth the effort... or are my taste buds so accustomed to Heinz that they won't be impressed?

 
My mom made it when we were kids when we had lots of garden tomatoes.

It was good, but it tasted more like the Heinz Chili Sauce than regular ketchup.

 
I made a lot of it for many years when I had big gardens

Over the years Heinz and most others have increased the levels of salt and sugar as America's tastebuds accepted fast food burgers and fries with high levels of those ingredients as the "norm"- so today's commercial ketchups are far different from those of decades gone by. I personally think almost anything homemade is far better than mass-produced but I suppose to most people, Heinz MEANS ketchup. I use it at my house because I don't have bushels of tomatoes to preserve- too expensive here on Kauai but I sure miss the homemade stuff.

 
Yes, love it. I use a slightly modified version of the Joy of Cooking's recipe.

I add more garlic, allspice, and dill. I like it spicy.

 
This is the one I've been thinking about making for years. REC: Zesty Ketchup

I originally saw it in Fine Cooking back in maybe 1999? It's a locked recipe on their website, but it's by David Page and Barbara Shinn and apparently they put it in a cookbook they wrote in 2001, so the recipe is loose elsewhere on the web. smileys/smile.gif

Famous Zesty Tomato Ketchup – "Recipes from HOME" - David Page and Barbara Shinn

"Our homemade ketchup is the only one served at our restaurant. After all, the motto at Home Restaurant is Fine Wine, Fine Ketchup.

2 large onions, sliced about 2/3 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
10 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup capers with their brine
¼ cup Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Home Spice Mix (listed below)
¾ teaspoon mild paprika
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground allspice
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
3 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes
2 (12 ounce) cans tomato paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Home Spice Mix: (this spice mix is used at the restaurant, in quite a few of the recipes) .
1/3 cup cumin seeds
1/3 coriander seeds
1/3 cup yellow mustard seeds

Preheat the broiler.

Toss the onion slices with the olive oil and broil them until charred, about 8 minutes on each side.

Put the onions and all the remaining ingredients in a deep heavy nonreactive pot. Simmer uncovered over low heat for about 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes to break up the tomatoes and to keep the ketchup from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The mixture will thicken. Puree the ketchup in batches in a food processor or blender. If the pureed ketchup seems too thin, return it to the pot and simmer until it is as thick as you like it. This ketchup keeps well refrigerated for up to 4 weeks. Makes 3 quarts.

Home Spice Mix:

Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin seeds and toss occasionally until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate to cool, and repeat with the coriander seeds and then the mustard seeds.

When the spices are cool, coarsely grind them together in a spice grinder or in a mortar with a pestle. Makes ¾ cup.

 
Carianna, I think it is time for you to make this. I don't

see why you could not can this recipe. It uses commercial tomatoes and has vinegar in it. I really want to make this.

 
I remember the article recommended good quality organic canned tomatoes over fresh

for flavor consistency, but also so they could stand up to the long simmering process. I'm sure fresh would work, though.

If I tried it I might halve it first - it seems like it makes an awful lot, although, jars of it might make nice hostess gifts.

 
I have everything but the canned tomatoes. I'll be trying this tonight since I used the last of my

Heinz ketchup yesterday. I will try it in the crock pot overnight with the lid lifted slightly with a knife. this worked out so well with the apple butter.

 
Oh, please report back! Looks like a fun, different recipe. I just can't figure out how to use it

all. We do not go through that much ketchup.

 
Ok, this is fabulous and very EASY. more like a chili sauce though, but so very tasty. notes:

I charred the onions on just one side---plenty enough for me.
I added 1 T of balsamic, just because
I think 1/4 cup of brown sugar would be enough and I'll try it next time.
I added 3/4 tsp of Ancho chili powder but used all the other spices as given.
found out I didn't have capers, so I used pickled jalapenos and their brine, and skipped the tabasco. it is quite spicy--will use less next batch.
cooked this overnight in the crockpot with lid ajar. blended it about half way through cooking time with my immersion blender. warning that the yummy smells wafting upstairs made sleeping quite difficult. I believe I will make the next batch during the day.
I haven't bottled it up yet so I don't know the final quantity.
I have a request for a sugar-free version. I plan to make it just like I made this first one, but I will add some Splenda in at the end, to taste. Maybe using 2T of balsamic to kick up the sweetness while cooking.
Meatloaf has been requested to test this out.

 
I ended up with 5 pint jars and a smidge leftover for the meatloaf.

one jar is going down to the river this weekend. one jar is being given for a small birthday gift tomorrow. one jar for me. one jar for DBF. that leaves just one extra. I sterilized the jars and lids and put the hot mixture in and the lids "pinged" to seal, but I did not process. So, I'll instruct to keep these in the fridge. meatloaf is made and Yum. It will be great on burgers and grilled hotdogs of all kinds. and I'll be making potato wedges with the meatloaf this weekend.

 
This sounds so good! It is on my Do List for this weekend maybe.

I think I will waterbath it for 20 minutes to keep it shelf-stable. Yum, Ang!

 
Next time I make it I will cut back on the spices to 1/2 tsp since it cooks down and gets really

rich and savory. I'm glad I made it mostly as is the first time and I know what to tweak, just a bit for next time. it really was so easy. not something I ever thought I would make since I love me some Heinz ketchup! I'm one of those "give me a few fries for my ketchup" girl. it could sometimes embarrass my DH. fond memory!

 
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