Home-made ketchup
This is adapted from several traditional American ketchup recipes – with much of the sugar substituted for molasses and no salt, so a much better alternative to commercial brands.
by Charlotte Watts
This makes a huge batch, but can be scaled down for more conservative numbers!
Ingredients:
6 kg ripe tomatoes
2 large sweet peppers
100g molasses
50g soft brown sugar
500ml cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon ground celery seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
Salt to taste if needed
Instructions:
- Finely chop the tomatoes and the peppers (removing seeds and white pith).
- Heat the tomatoes and peppers over a medium heat until very soft.
- Sieve the mixture, pushing through and then return to the pan and add the vinegar, molasses and mustard.
- Add the spices, bring to a boil, then simmer for up to 20 minutes, until the consistency is thick and ‘ketchupy’.
- Leave to cool and then store in bottles, it will keep for up to a month in the fridge.