Zesty Ketchup from Your Kitchen
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hen we decided to take the big step of It takes a lot of Wopening a restaurant, we established a few tomatoes to make ground rules. Tired of the assumption held by so good ketchup. The many chefs that French cuisine and its techniques authors prefer to use are the standards for good cooking, we decided that canned tomatoes our menu would feature the wonderful ingredients, for consistency and traditions, and foods that are found in American convenience. cooking. The homemade ketchup we put on every table is a symbol of that mission. Its main ingredient— tomatoes—is indigenous to America, and the condiment has become a part of the fabric of American cookery. On a more practical level, our customers love it. We see them using it during every meal, dunking onion rings into it, pouring it on ome- lets, even spreading it on bread for a ketchup sandwich. Charred onions Compared to the overly add a sweet-smoky sweet, processed product, our flavor to the ketchup. ketchup has a zesty, fresh fla- Don’t be afraid to let vor that’s as vibrant as salsa them blacken. yet right at home on a ham- burger. It’s also easy to make, requiring little more than stirring. KETCHUP’S LONG TRADITION Zesty The origin of ketchup is not clear. Some food histor- ians believe ketchup comes from the Spanish esca- beche, a marinade or sauce for pickling. Others say it’s derived from the Indonesian ketjap, a thick, Ketchup slightly sweetened soy sauce. Certainly, ketchup-like condiments made from ingredients such as walnuts and mushrooms existed in England for many cen- turies before the concept was married to the New World’s tomatoes, but there are those who consider from Your ketchup a purely American innovation. According to the authors of Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes & Practices Vol. II, a Kitchen book of food lore privately published in As vibrant as salsa— 1968, Ameri- can ketchup was and just as easy to make Homemade ketchup cries out for onion rings, but you should also try it with omelets, grilled chicken, meat- BY DAVID PAGE & BARBARA SHINN loaf, and shellfish. Photos: Scott Phillips 52 FINE COOKING Copyright © 1996 - 2007 The Taunton Press first used to prevent scurvy on the fishing ketches off week, we make a large batch of ketchup and seal it in the New England coast. This early “ketch-up” was mason jars so our customers can take some home. You merely a mixture of tomatoes and lemon juice. may want to can your ketchup as well. It makes a great Sailors got their vitamin C from the tomatoes, and gift, and it will last for at least a year unopened with- the acids in the lemon kept the tomatoes from out refrigeration. If you don’t can the ketchup, it will spoiling while they were out to sea. Over the still last for years, as ketchup’s ingre- a couple of months in the dient list expanded, Charred onions, toasted refrigerator. people on shore devel- Once it’s opened, you’ll oped spices, and tangy capers want to use your ketchup for a taste for it. Eventu- far more than the traditional ally, H. J. Heinz made all add character hamburgers and french fries. ketchup a household Try it on roasted sweet pota- condiment for meats to the ketchup. toes, grilled chicken, omelets, and other foods. portobello mushroom sand- Unfortunately, the wiches, and meatloaf. This ketchup selection at most supermarkets is lim- ketchup also makes a great base for homemade cock- ited to just a few overly processed products. tail sauce and Russian dressing. So about eight years ago, while working as a chef in California, David began making his Ketchup from “Home” own. The result is a fresh, delicious ketchup This recipe makes a lot of ketchup, but it will keep for that’s easy to make. months in the refrigerator and even longer if you can it. The recipe is easily multiplied and divided. Yields 3 quarts. MAKING KETCHUP IS A MATTER OF 2 Tbs. olive oil SLOW COOKING AND STIRRING 2 large onions, sliced about 2⁄3 inch-thick There are just a few ingredients to prepare 1 tsp. coriander seeds before cooking your ketchup. Charring the 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1 tsp. mustard seeds onions on a grill or under a broiler adds a 1 cup red-wine vinegar smoky complexity to the ketchup. We toast 1⁄3 cup plus 1 Tbs. packed brown sugar (1⁄4 lb.) the coriander, cumin, and mustard seeds 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled 1 before adding them to bring out their flavors. ⁄4 cup capers with their brine 1⁄4 cup hot sauce The remaining ingredients are more tradition- 3⁄4 tsp. paprika al: the vinegar adds an acidic touch, the capers a 3⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon 3 bit of tang, the hot sauce a little heat, and the ⁄4 tsp. ground allspice 3⁄4 tsp. ground ginger other spices character. 3⁄4 tsp. dried oregano Canned tomatoes mean convenience. 3⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 3⁄4 tsp. ground cardamom Many people ask us if we use fresh tomatoes in Salt to taste our ketchup, and they seem a little dis- Three 28-oz. cans whole tomatoes appointed when we tell them that we prefer to use Two 12-oz. cans tomato paste canned tomatoes. We envy anyone with a big crop of Lightly oil the onion slices and grill or broil them until garden tomatoes to use in their ketchup, but for blackened, about 15 min. per side. those of us without a bushel or two of tomatoes, a In a small, dry, heavy-based skillet, toast the coriander, good-quality canned tomato provides a consistent cumin, and mustard seeds over medium heat until and reliable flavor. (We only use organically grown fragrant, about 5 min. Grind the toasted spices in a mortar canned tomatoes.) In our experience, fresh-from- and pestle or a spice grinder. the-garden tomatoes don’t really benefit from the Put all the ingredients in a deep, heavy-based, nonreactive long cooking that ketchup requires. pot. Simmer the ketchup over low heat for about 3 hours, stirring it every 15 min. to break up the tomatoes and to Pay attention to the ketchup while it cooks. keep the ketchup from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You don’t need to hover over the pot, but a good stir The mixture should thicken. now and again breaks up the tomatoes, distributes Purée the ketchup in batches in a blender or food pro- the spices, and keeps the bottom from scorching. We cessor. If the puréed ketchup seems too thin, continue believe that the more attention paid to stirring, the cooking it until it’s reduced to a consistency you like. better the ketchup tastes. To stir the large batches of ketchup we make, we David Page and Barbara Shinn own Home Restaurant have a special tool that looks like a canoe paddle in New York City, where David cooks many wonderful and is available in some kitchen stores. Once a dishes, some of which taste even better with ketchup. • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1996 53 Copyright © 1996 - 2007 The Taunton Press.