Brownie Points

I cringe to think of the first time I made ketchup.

It burped and spew like hot lava as I cooked it, sputtering out to paint the walls and even bless the ceiling. This culinary Jackson Pollack moment also marked my discovery and purchase of a splatter guard.

Why should you make your own ketchup?

• The taste and texture difference is amazing- complex flavor nuances make homemade ketchup superior to most store-boughts.
• It’s an opportunity to cover the jars with your own quirky label.
• Ingredient control; you can exclude corn syrup as a sweetener.
• Perverse ingredient control; you can make it so spicy it will make little kids around you cry.
• Or maybe someone is just too lazy to go to the store.

Spicy homemade ketchup delivers a great breakfast spread on a crisp rye cracker with hard boiled eggs, green onion and chili salt.

Homemade Spiced Ketchup

inspired by epicurious’ no frills ketchup recipe
In a large pot drizzled with cooking oil saute:

• onion: chopped, one medium

Cook till the onion pieces just start to color. Add to the cooked onion:

• canned tomatoes: fire-roasted in puree, 28 oz can
• Berberé paste: three tablespoons (or one tablespoon of tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika you Berberé whimps)
• date sugar: 2/3 cup (or brown sugar)
• molasses: 2 tablespoons
• vinegar: balsamic/apple cider/red wine, 1/3 cup
• chipotle: chopped, 2 tablespoons
• cinnamon: ground, 1/2 teaspoon
• cumin: toasted and ground, 1/2 teaspoon or more to taste
• salt: kosher, 2 teaspoons

With the lid off, cover with a splatter guard and simmer for about an hour until the sauce is thickened and not watery looking. Stir occasionally, esp more so as you approach the end of your cooking time.

If the ketchup starts to scorch on the bottom, scrape it up with a wooden spoon and stir into the cooking ketchup. These scorched bits, in moderation, will make your ketchup taste even better, so don’t worry.

When thick, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Pour the cooled sauce into a blender and whirl smooth. Pour into jars and refrigerate.

Makes 2 - 2 1/2 cups

More Homemade Kitchen Staples from Food Bloggers

• Haverchuk: Mustard
  hot damn, it’s good and spicy. Goes well with pretzels, Gruyère-style cheese, and probably a thousand other tasty things
• Simply Recipes: Simple Salsa Recipe
  the beauty of this recipe is that it is something a 7-year old can make in about 10 minutes - pretty useful when you are trying to get dinner on the table
• Orangette: Hot Sauce
  Rich and nutty with sesame and pumpkin seeds, smelling of warmth and chiles and places with plenty of sun, this homemade blend is the new favorite of the house. Even the merest whiff at the jar – lightly smoky and with a wallop of spice – makes my stomach start to grumble.
• Brownie Points: Sweet Hot Chili Sauce
  We swooned, finishing off every slice, licking the sweet vinegar sauce off of our fingers.
  This flavor combination of cilantro pesto and sweet chili sauce has become a cult favorite in our house ever since…
• Becks & Posh: Chipotle en Adobo
  I scanned the ingredient list and realised I already had just about everything needed to make my own, including some ketchup that I bought for another recipe about a year ago and hadn’t used since.

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