Tomato Ketchup Recipe
Here's a homemade tomato ketchup recipe that uses roasted tomatoes for extra depth of flavor, as well as three kinds of vinegar.This ketchup recipe calls for 6 lbs of fresh ripe tomatoes. You could also use a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes for this ketchup recipe. (See note below)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 12 large tomatoes, but see note)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Halve the tomatoes, drizzle some olive oil over them and roast them on a baking pan (or two) for 20 minutes or until they're soft and wrinkled looking but not burnt.
- Let the tomatoes cool for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a blender or food processor and puree until they're smooth. You'll likely have to work in small batches.
Tip: Use care when processing hot items in a blender as the hot steam can sometimes blow the blender lid off. Start on a slow speed with the lid slightly ajar to vent any steam, then seal the lid and increase the blending speed. - In a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat, warm the sugar, keeping it moving with a wooden spoon, for about a minute.
- Add the onion and garlic, the pureed roasted tomatoes (and the canned crushed tomatoes, if you're using them). Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the three vinegars and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. The ketchup should be well thickened by now. Remove from heat and season to taste with the cayenne pepper.
- Strain the ketchup through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth and into a plastic container.
- Cooling: Fill a large stockpot about halfway with a mixture of half ice, half water, and submerge the container in the ice bath to chill. The idea is for the ice-water level to come most of the way up the outside of the container, but don't let any water into the ketchup.
- Stir the ketchup more or less constantly, until it the temperature reaches 70°F on an instant-read thermometer. Then remove the container from the ice bath, cover and transfer to the refrigerator where it will keep for about 10 days.
NOTE: You can substitute canned crushed tomatoes for some of the fresh tomatoes in this ketchup recipe, but it's best to use at least a couple of pounds of fresh tomatoes; the roasting process brings out a lot of flavor.
If you want to substitute canned, figure that one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes is roughly equal to four large, ripe tomatoes.
