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Only weirdos don't like ketchup. It's a perfect accompaniment to any kind of cooked potato, hamburger or pseudo-burger, and though the French have banned its use in school dinners, ketchup will surely enjoy a long and healthy life in North America. Most of us snub our noses at anything other than Heinz 57, but personally I'm sick of buying plastic every single month to house my ketchup and other condiments. Tomatoes are just a couple of pesos per kilogram at the little veggie-vendor's place down the street, and it turns out that the rest of the ingredients for a good ketcup were already in my fridge and pantry. Want to cut down on your use of plastic, save money and know exactly what you're eating? Try this recipe! 14 small Roma tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped white onion 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt 2-inch cinnamon stick 2 large bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon plain mustard 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar Step One: Wash and peel the tomatoes. I soak all my produce in a vinegar-water bath for at least 10 minutes before rinsing and putting it all away. Once you've washed your tomatoes, cut shallow crosses into each end and pop them into a pot of boiling water. Let them sit in the pot for about a a minute before transferring them to an ice bath to cool. You'll see the skins starting to pull away from the flesh of the tomato--when the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, just pull off the skins with your fingers. Step Two; De-seed the tomatoes. You're going to get messy here, so just dive in with both hands. Slice each tomato in half to expose the seeds and scrape them out (toss them in the compost later.) A few seeds aren't going to hurt, but if you leave them in, the texture of the finished product won't be as smooth as it could be. Step Three: Simmer Put the tomatoes into a large saucepan with the onion, herbs and spices (everything except the vinegar.) Bring the ingredients to a boil then turn down to a strong simmer. Cover and stir frequently for 20-30 minutes. Step Four: Add the vinegar When the tomato mixture is condensed and quite thick, pour in the vinegar and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Step Five: Pureé Let the mixture cool, then place it in a blender or food processor. Whiz until it's nice and smooth, and you're finished! Pour the finished ketchup into a sealable container and keep it in the fridge as usual. This recipe makes about 380 grams of delicious, all-natural ketchup. Enjoy! |
Homer & MandyWelcome to The Cat Box! Homer will be your guides to all things cat, cat and more cat. Things like cat food, nutrition and general well-being, but not the Oxford comma. Because screw that thing. Categories |