Home made tomato ketchup

[Luath]

You'll never buy it again!!

Based loosely on one of Keith Floyd's recipes.

2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, chopped (can de-seed and peel if liked)
1 lbs onions, finely chopped
1 large red pepper, de-seeded and chopped fine
4 oz sugar
3 - 4 large cloves garlic
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 large wine glasses vinegar
pinch powdered cloves
salt and pepper, chilli powder to taste
vegetable oil

Fry the three vegetables in the oil until soft and cooked through. Add all other ingredients, cook over a low heat for 2 hours + until coats the back of the wooden spoon. You can sieve it or liquidise it if you like it smoother. Put into clean dry sterilised bottles and process in hot water bath for 20 minutes or so. Cool, label and store.

Adjust amounts of seasonings etc to taste, can leave out chilli/mustard, cloves, etc if not liked.

[Andy Hamilton]

That's the first one I have seen using a red pepper, cheers for posting. I have one pepper that is starting to go red and loads of green ones that hopefully should be ready when my 10-20 tomato plants start producing a glutt.

I must admit I only buy ketchup for barbeques so that others can use it, not a bug fan. however, proper home made stuff is another ball game.

[Han&Matt]

Although I promise that I am not preparing quite this early, being short of change but rich in tomatoes made me wonder if tomato ketchup homemade in lovely bottles wouldn't make good Christmas presents? Same goes for all pickled fresh veg/chutneys/jams etc I guess. I am a preserving first-timer so it could all go terribly wrong... But I am willing to give it a try, and this recipie looks fab!
Also rather pleased to imagine the faces of my friends as they open their ketchup... (she has finally lost it, someone call the madhouse...).

[Luath]

I think they'd be chuffed to bits to get that sort of thing for a present, especially the ketchup, as it's just a wee bit diferent to chutney, etc. Make sure it is properly processed though, or it will start to ferment and possibly burst.

[Dave]

You can make a really good ketchup using Elderberries - it's known as Polac (think that's how it's spelt). It's an old English recipe, just use elderberries instead of tomatoes otherwise the recipe is the same.

[Shirley]

Aha.... someone has just mentioned a local supply of good elderberries on Neeps! Wine and sauce :)

[Shirley]

http://www.patch-work.demon.co.uk/elder.htm#G

Found Pontack sauce on this site... lots of good elder recipes here!

[Millymollymandy]

I wonder how much 'a box of pectin' is?

I was just told this morning by some local folk out scrumping for berries (elder and black) that if you cook elderberries with some green ones then you don't need lemon juice/pectin as well, as the green ones I presume contain pectin.

[PurpleDragon]

Nice one, thanks. My tomato plants are fruitingvery nicely thank you, but there are way too many for a normal family to eat

[Dave]

I always use a bit of apple as it contains pectin - seems to do the trick, work with elder and balckberry jam.

[diggernotdreamer]

Just found this recipe from 2005 posting for tomato ketchup, have had bumper crops of toms this year which I have mainly turned into passata and puree, will turn a few more pounds into this ketchup, sounds very good, Not many green ones this year, but enough to make a green tomato cake which is yummy,I hate chutney so cake seems a good alternative to me, unless anyone has a really good interesting chutney recipe that may turn me, I love hot and spicy stuff.

Thanks Lyn

[Mustardseedmama]

I wonder how much 'a box of pectin' is?

I was just told this morning by some local folk out scrumping for berries (elder and black) that if you cook elderberries with some green ones then you don't need lemon juice/pectin as well, as the green ones I presume contain pectin.

Over here a box of pectin is half a cup. I buy it by the 4 pound bag at the local bulk foods store.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Just found this recipe from 2005 posting for tomato ketchup, have had bumper crops of toms this year which I have mainly turned into passata and puree, will turn a few more pounds into this ketchup, sounds very good, Not many green ones this year, but enough to make a green tomato cake which is yummy,I hate chutney so cake seems a good alternative to me, unless anyone has a really good interesting chutney recipe that may turn me, I love hot and spicy stuff.

Thanks Lyn

I shall try to float your boat

1.5 kg ripe tomatoes;
0.5 kg onions;
500ml vinegar;
400g sugar;
400g raisins;
Chilli powder, salt & pepper to taste

Don't bother skining or de-seeding the tomatoes, just dice them up and chuck them into a big pan with the finely chopped onions and the vinegar, then simmer until all is soft & squishy.

Add the sugar, dissolve and then add the raisins, chilli powder, salt & pepper.

Boil until thickened (stir it - it will catch otherwise and watch out becase it can really spit towards the end). Check and adjust seasoning if necessary then jar it as usual. The sugar and raisins make a real salt/sweet/sour flavour hit. I've made about 7 kilos of the stuff this year because everyone loves it.

[oldjerry]

I've been hit by a cheap bottle of Champers,so a touch more detail please Jon.Wine vinegar? brown Sugar? Do you blitz it before bottling?.....Cheers, OJ.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

OJ - hope you're not too badly hurt...

Vinegar - I just use spirit vinegar (the white stuff) because we don't have malt vinegar in France. I've tried using wine vinegar and even adding a bit of balsamic, but the change in flavour was minimal to be honest.

Sugar - ditto really. Plain white sugar is fine. I've tried others but the effect is not significant.

I don't blitz it. The texture is very soft though the raisins remain nicely intact so it looks attractive.