Catching up on ketchup

Ragazzi, by now  you know Annalena's rule when it comes to staples:  if she can make it better than she can buy it,  she'll make it.  If she can make it better, but it's close, and the work is ridiculous, she'll buy it.  That is why she makes bread, but buys pasta, makes mayonnaise when the mayonnaise is really important (like in vitello tonnato), but buys it for turkey sandwiches, and makes her own salad dressing, but buys jam.

With mustard, Annalena makes her own grainy mustard, but smooth mustard is too difficult in the home kitchen.  We are not a household that  uses a lot of ketchup, but we do use it.  When we do, we almost always use June Taylor's wonderful wickedly expensive organic  stuff.  It's worth every penny of the 18.00 a bottle or so that it costs. 

Why would you want to make your own ketchup?  Well, as the recipe Annalena studied this week will tell you,  look at the ingredients.  Corn syrup.  Do we need to go further?  In truth, you cannot make ketchup without sugar, but...  and then there are the preservatives. How do you think ketchup stays on those shelves so long.  And was anyone else as revolted as Annalena was, when we went to green and purple ketchup and they were best selling items?  OH DEAR. 

So when Annalena saw a recipe for homemade ketchup, she decided to give it a try.  Know what?  You should make this at least once.  Annalena bets that if you make it, you will probably do it again.  It is easy.  You will feel accomplished. And, when you figure out the cost, you will never argue about good quality, organic condiments again.  Three cups of ketchup cost Annalena about 13.00 to make. It is worth it, but when you can buy a bottle of the stuff for a dollar, you really have to wonder....

OK, here we go.  You start with tomatoes.  The little ones, and the ripest, reddest ones you can find.  Organic?  Sure, if you can find them, but you're going to need two quarts and the local ones are already 5.00 a quart, without organic certification.  Up to you.  Cut them in half, lengthwise (this will take you about ten minute), and toss them in a cold skillet - a BIG, wide one - with two cups of red wine vinegar (DON'T use white), and 3/4 cup of brown sugar.  Dark is bettter, light is good.  Stir this all together.  Add four teaspoons (that is a teaspoon and a tablespoon) of salt, and two teaspoons of black pepper, freshly ground.  Stir together well, and turn the heat to medium high.  Not too high, but just a bit over medium.  Stick around, but now, really, you don't have to do anything, except maybe stir it once in a while. 

Eventually, the liquid will begin to evaporate out.  If you have made risotto, you know the effect Annalena is looking for , when she says "draw a line down the middle and see how fast or slowthe stuff takes to fill the line."    When you get there, you can take it off the heat. (Annalena's recipe said 25 minutes.  It was more like 40). 

Now, when you look at this, you will not be encouraged.  You will have floating bits of tomato skin, seeds, and what looks like curdled tomato sauce.  Persevere, dump it in a food processor, and churn it.  Take a look, and churn it again, until it's nice and smooth.  It will be thick:  somewhere in between tomato sauce and tomato paste.  Taste it.  If you are so inclined, stir in some worcester sauce (Annalena was not so inclined).

You will get about three generous cups out of this.  Fat free, vegan, and really, very very good.  And when you think about it, how much ketchup do you REALLY use?  This will last you for awhile. Or share it with a friend who is less adventursome than you are.  Have your friend make the pickles maybe, and swap.