Without doubt Heinz has the monopoly on Tomato Ketchup and to be completely honest I love it! No BLT is complete without it, wedges or fries are a no-go unless I have some and don't get me started on having a fried or basted egg without some ketchup on the side!!! It is my junk food indulgence and I don't care!
Now while I have no problem eating Tomato Ketchup I had been suffering from motherly guilt after letting my wee guy try it for the first time about a month ago, which of course he loved! Does it make me a bad mum for giving him ketchup?....No, absolutely not and to be honest I can count on one hand how many times he has eaten it, but to ease my conflict I decided to make my own so that he can have all the ketchup he wants! That plus the fact I had a glut of tomatoes after going to the farmer's market made for a happy afternoon in the kitchen making up a batch of homemade Tomato Ketchup which is delicious. I definitely recommend trying this out if you are a ketchup fan...it's no Heinz but for me it's better!
{For a spicy version which I love add some chopped chilli and feel free to adjust the amount of sugar – it's all about personal taste and being able to control your sugar and salt. I wouldn't go less than 75g though but it's your call! Enjoy!}
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1inch piece of fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick,
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 cloves
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2lbs tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
300ml water
100g soft brown sugar
125ml red wine vinegar
Salt
Heat the oil in a large pan the saute the onions and celery for roughly 10 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, coriander, cloves and black pepper and cook gently for another 5 minutes, before adding the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, water, sugar, vinegar and some salt. Bring to a gentle boil then lower the heat and leave to simmer gently for roughly 1 hour until the sauce has reduced quite a bit and there isn't a lot of water or juice.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes then remove the cinnamon stick and pop the sauce into a blender and whizz until completely smooth then sieve the ketchup into a clean pan to ensure a silky smooth ketchup. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. If your ketchup is a little runny (based on the amount of juice from the tomatoes) return the pan to the heat and cook for a little longer until it has reduced further and to the consistency of ketchup. It will thicken slightly as it cools though. Pour the hot ketchup into bottles, jars or other containers and allow to cool before keeping in the fridge and enjoying whenever you fancy some homemade ketchup!
My litte man goes crazy about ketchup and barbecue sauces. I need to give this a try. I never thought about making my own at home. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am always reminding the Boy (almost 16 years old) that ketchup does not count as a side dish or a veggie on his plate...I should buy stock in Heinz!! I can assure you that mass amounts of ketchup have not stunted his growth, at last measure he was 6'3"...if it gets them to eat something they may not have otherwise eaten, then I am all for ketchup! Recipe looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ladies!
ReplyDeleteLo-mo - That is hilarious! I never thought of trying to count it as a side dish!! You are absolutely right - if it gets them to try new things then I'm all for it! Thanks again : )
Lynds, I really appreciate your selection of seasoning - for me, homemade ketchup will always trump the bottled stuff. With all of these tomatoes lying around from the farmer's market, this is a great way to make them last a little longer (or maybe not!). Heirloom ketchup anybody?
ReplyDeleteWow great recipe! I'm definitely a ketchup addict and I think it would be so fun to make my own, yum! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this recipe. I never thought to make ketchup with all our tomatoes. Will definitely try this.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Joanne
LOVE this recipe! I'm a Heinz addict myself but I'm also addicted to making home made condiments so this will definitely be tried. Buzzed!
ReplyDeleteI love ketchup. I can finish the whole bottle if I go to KFC :D No wonder they don't serve in bottles these days. Must be too many people like me! :P Your ketchup looks very delicious. You are just amazing to make it yourself. I need to bookmark this. Thanks very much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNever thought to make my own ketchup - great idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your lovely comments! Since we all seem to be ketchup fans I really recommend trying this one - its different from Heinz (of course!) but it's a really nice change. It's also easy to make and of course delicious!
ReplyDeleteJust like buses - nothing for ages and then two come along at once ... I have recently posted a great recipe for home made tomato ketchup as well. Mine is a little different, a very quick and simple version using passata rather than whole toms and tom puree but in the end you really can't beat home made, can you!
ReplyDeletehopeeternal
'Meanderings through my Cookbook'
What a unique idea!! I always buy it store bought, probably because I think I can't actually make it. This is great!
ReplyDeleteNew fan of your site!
Thanks ladies!
ReplyDeleteHopeeternal - Just had a look at your recipe and it looks lovely! An ideal alternative when tomatoes aren't as juicy and delicious! I'll definitely give your recipe a go during winter!
Claire - Give it a go! It does taste different from store bought but its so delicious and easy to make!
What's wrong with letting your child eat store-bought ketchup? I certainly don't feel guilty when my daughter eats it, we can't make everything homemade especially us working moms, and especially us working single moms! Great recipe though, I would love to try it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah! There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with it and as I said I love it and have eaten it my whole life...it's more so cause my wee guy is only 18 months old however, I can guarantee he will be eating plenty of the store bought ketchup as I don't plan on always having a constant supply of homemade ketchup in the fridge! I hope you like it if you give it a go. : )
ReplyDelete