Wednesday, September 30, 2009

TOMATO CATSUP OR KETCHUP


My Grandmother, faced with the end of summer bounty of tomatoes, created her own catsup recipe for preserving them. She made a hot catsup by stewing together tomatoes, onions, red bell peppers and spices, all kept roughly chopped much like a salsa. Scrabbled eggs served with her catsup is a memory I salivate over. When my Grandfather died, my Grandmother was forced to sell the farm and move to a small house in town, that was the end of the tomato catsup, but not the end of my love affair. Sadly, the recipe was not written down and lost when we lost her.

My Mother and Grandmother use the word catsup; ketchup and catsup are used interchangeably, there is no difference in the actual condiment. Ketchup originated in China as a kind of fish sauce, soy based, no tomatoes at all in the recipe. It was not until it was introduced in the late 1700's to the New England area were tomatoes added. The word catsup is typically used east of the Mississippi. In the 1980's, the U.S. government declared ketchup a vegetable for use in the school lunches; for marketing purposes, producers changed the name across the U.S. to KETCHUP. My Mom still says catsup! or CATCHUP! either word, it's pretty tasty.

I have recently come across 3 recipes for homemade catsup/ketchup which I'd like to share. Give them a try, bet you won't go back to the store bought versions. I found these, of all places, in the magazine-note the irony-"Metropolitan Home." This is simple, basic and has 3 flavor options; my favorite is the Five Spice Ginger.

Classic American Ketchup Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1½ tsp. dry mustard
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. mace
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground allspice
• 1½ tbsp. maple syrup
• ¼ cup cider vinegar

Directions

(1) In a medium nonreactive saucepan, heat canola oil and add onion, garlic, dry mustard and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.

(2) Add tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Gently break down tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon while cooking.

(3) Add maple syrup and cider vinegar and continue to cook, stirring for another 10 minutes, until mixture has a thick sauce consistency.

(4) Purée using an immersion blender or cool briefly before puréeing in a standard blender. Pour into a jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Ketchup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about a month. Makes 1 pint and can easily be multiplied.

****Variation:

Smoky Saffron Ketchup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1½ tsp. dry mustard
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp. saffron threads
• ½ tsp. piment d'Espelette (or substitute ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper and ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp. honey
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar

Directions

(1) In a medium nonreactive saucepan, heat canola oil and add onion, garlic, dry mustard and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.

(2) Add tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Gently break down tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon while cooking.

(3) Add honey and add vinegar and continue to cook, stirring for another 10 minutes, until mixture has a thick sauce consistency.

(4) Purée using an immersion blender or cool briefly before puréeing in a standard blender. Pour into a jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Ketchup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about a month. Makes 1 pint and can easily be multiplied.

**Variation:

Five-Spice Ginger Ketchup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1½ tsp. dry mustard
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. freshly grated gingerroot
• ¾ tsp. five-spice powder
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
• ¼ cup rice vinegar

Directions

(1) In a medium nonreactive saucepan, heat canola oil and add onion, garlic, dry mustard and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.

(2) Add tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Gently break down tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon while cooking.

(3) Add light brown sugar and rice vinegar and continue to cook, stirring for another 10 minutes, until mixture has a thick sauce consistency.

(4) Purée using an immersion blender or cool briefly before puréeing in a standard blender. Pour into a jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Ketchup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about a month. Makes 1 pint and can easily be multiplied.


Remember, Have Fun! and Enjoy!
--V

3 comments:

  1. Victoria you just made me want to go and make my own ketchup now. the Saffron recipe sound good. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yea! Glenn, with sweet potato fries!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting history of ketchup/catsup..whatever. I'm not motivated enough to make my own, but this was interesting reading indeed.

    ReplyDelete