The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

One of my most vivid childhood food memories is the aroma in my house when my Mom made ketchup from the bumper crop of tomatoes we always grew in our large backyard garden. The indescribable scent both piquant and zesty wafted throughout the house drawing everyone into the kitchen to peek into the bubbling pot. While I no longer have the large garden of my childhood, I am lucky enough to live in a wonderful part of Canada where fresh produce is easily accessible. The recipe I have provided below for Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup is easy to make and a great project for you to try when tomatoes are plentiful.   Once you have tasted your own homemade ketchup, you may never go back to store-bought again. I have used grape tomatoes in this recipe – their sweetness and flavour lend themselves well to making this popular condiment.   Any tomato variety can be used for this recipe (see the proportions below), and even a mixture of fresh and canned tomatoes work well. Give it a try! It is well worth the effort.  Skip to Recipe

Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup

Yield: 250 – 300 ml ketchup

CHEF TALK: Making your own homemade ketchup is something that you must try! It is easy, fun and delicious! The recipe is gluten-free, preservative free, corn syrup free and refined sugar-free. My Mom’s ketchup recipe came from her favourite cookbook, “Watkin’s Cookbook,” (circa 1948) which used 4 quarts of ripe tomatoes, making a family size batch of ketchup. I still cherish this tattered cookbook, however,  for this post, I adapted Jamie Oliver’s Homemade Tomato Ketchup recipe, which makes a more manageable amount of delicious ketchup.

INGREDIENTS:

• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
• 1 large red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 piece (1 inch long) of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked and set aside, remaining stalks chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds or 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 cloves or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ – 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) fresh grape tomatoes, chopped, or garden tomatoes or 500 g fresh tomatoes and 1 can (500 g) tinned tomatoes
• 250 ml water
• 200 ml red wine vinegar
• 70 g (1/3 cup) organic cane sugar or light brown sugar
• ½ fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 2 fresh bay leaves, optional

METHOD:

1. You will need a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven for this recipe. Add the oil and the vegetables (onion, celery), together with the ginger, garlic, chopped basil stalks, coriander, cloves, ground pepper and a good pinch of salt.
2. Cook over gentle heat for 10 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Add all of the chopped tomatoes and 250 ml of water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until the sauce reduces by half.
4. Add the basil leaves, then, puree the sauce with a hand blender or food processor. Using a spatula, push the mixture through a sieve twice to make sure that the mixture is smooth. CHEF TIP: I saved the pulp that was left in the sieve to make a flavourful batch of chilli.
5. Place the smooth strained tomato mixture into a clean saucepan. Add the vinegar and the sugar. Place the sauce on the heat and simmer until it reduces and thickens to the consistency of tomato ketchup (approximately 30 minutes). Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
6. Spoon the ketchup into sterilized bottles, then seal tightly and place in the fridge. It should keep for six months. It is great with burgers, fries, steak and grilled cheese.
   

   The best way to enjoy Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup is with freshly made fries

You Might Also Like these Ketchup Loving Posts by Urb’n’Spice:

Game Day Potato Wedges

Grilled Double Cheese Bacon Sandwich

My Mom’s Famous French Canadian Tourtiere

Australian Meat Pies

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Spatula
• Reductions
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If you try my recipe for Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

 

 

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Sources:  

Watkins Spices

Jamie Oliver’s Version

Wikipedia