If someone had told me one year ago that I'd someday be singing the praises of ketchup, I would have told them to take their crystal ball in to be serviced. Unless it's mixed up in a fry sauce or is on a burger, I've been perfectly content to live my life without that high fructose laden tomato condiment. That all changed a few months ago, however, when my family stopped for a bite at a wonderful little cafe and charcuterie in Solvang, CA.
Served alongside my daughter's house-cured hotdog and crispy potato wedges at Succulent Cafe was a homemade ketchup like no other. "Try this!" my husband insisted. I threw him the "You know I don't eat ketchup {dorkpie} !" face. "Seriously. You have to try it," he persisted. He would not relent till I tried it. I'm glad I gave in. The homemade ketchup had a rich tomato flavor, not too sweet and the perfect tang. The flavor was so complex that we found ourselves wanting to eat it with a spoon long after the fries were gone...
...Fast forward to last week...
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Just click on the image above to download for personal use.
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While browsing a local antique mall, I came across a beautiful vintage catsup label. It was just the inspiration I needed to try making my own gourmet ketchup at home.
I used a recipe from my favorite culinary experts, the folks at Cook's Illustrated. On a tip from childhood friend, Kara, I added harissa to half of the homemade ketchup. My kids couldn't get enough of the plain homemade ketchup, and my husband and I are hooked on the slightly spicier and more aromatic harissa version.
Ketchup, Catsup, whatever you like to call it -- is it worth the time and effort to make at home? Absolutely! The only danger is that once you've had it, it'll be hard to go back to the pre-made stuff. It's like eating a jarred spaghetti sauce after growing up with an Italian grandma's homemade, simmered all day and cooked with love, sauce.
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| The homemade harissa ketchup makes a mean fry sauce too! Just add 1 Tablespoon of the homemade ketchup to 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise and stir in two finely chopped cornichons. |
Homemade Gourmet Ketchup
(with harissa or without)
Yield: approx. 4 cups
adapted from my favorite canning cookbook:
- a sheet of cheesecloth
- 10" kitchen twine
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen Organic)
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 3 Tablespoons harissa for each cup of finished ketchup. You can make your own harissa, but I used and enjoyed Shiloh's (100% natural from Whole Foods)
Step 1: Bundle the peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and allspice in a sheet of doubled-over cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to secure, leaving about 5 inches extra twine on 1 end.
Step 2: Heat the oil and cloves in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until oil begins to bubble. Continue to cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain oil through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and discard the cloves.
Step 3: Return strained clove oil to the now-empty saucepan and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened (5-7 minutes). Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Step 4: Transfer to blender, add tomatoes and process (in batches if necessary) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return tomato mixture to the now-empty pot, and stir in brown sugar, vienegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Secure twine of spice bag to the handle of the pot and submerge the bag in the tomato mixture.
Step 5: Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is dark red, thick, and reduced to about 4 cups (about 2 hours).
Step 6: Remove spice bag. Strain ketchup through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, pressing on solids. Let ketchup cool to room temperature, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7: Optional -- stir in 3 Tablespoons of harissa for every 1 cup of ketchup.
Step 8: Pour cooled ketchup into jars or plastic squeeze bottles with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate. The homemade ketchup can be refrigerated for up to a month.
If you'd like to personalize your labels, here's a free sheet you can download and customize in MS Word.
