So I made this the other day:
It's ketchup. Yes, ketchup. If you've ever canned tomatoes, made tomato sauce, or salsa, you can make great tasting ketchup. But be aware that it won't be the thick sugary kind you get in the grocery store, it will be a delicate but tasty concoction that you'll be proud of.
To make it I scalded, peeled, and de-seeded one box of canning tomatoes, which I then roasted in the oven. After I twice poured the water off the pans of tomatoes, I put them in my food processor and pureed them. In the tomatoes I put four or five skinned and de-seeded hot banana peppers and one skinned and de-seeded orange bell pepper, I roasted the peppers on my grill before I skinned and took the seeds out of them. I also put in one finely chopped large white onion. Then I dumped all of that in my stock pot and I began slowly cooking it down even more. I added one cup cider vinegar, one cup brown sugar, one tablespoon sea salt, one teaspoon cinnamon, one teaspoon allspice, and a pinch of ground cloves. I cooked it on a low for another hour or so, stirring it occasionally.
I ended up with a tasty ketchup that's delicate and tasty. It's got a sweet start but a spicy finish. The allspice and cloves are pronounced flavors but they don't overwhelm the whole of the product. We had grilled burgers and oven fries for supper and the ketchup was great on both. Like I said, it's a lot different from grocery store bought ketchup because that shit is full of xanthan gum and stabilizers to thicken it and extend it's shelf life.
I'll definitely make ketchup again, and next time I'll amp up the salt and add cracked black pepper and maybe a jalapeno or a pablano or two.
