Homemade Ketchup Recipe
I finally made the ketchup I had been planning to make for a long time last weekend. To be honest, I was prepared to make a few attempts to get the flavor just right for my taste. But I don't know whether I was simply lucky or whether my hands have finally learned exactly what my palate likes, but I hit the target on my very first try. I ended up with a wonderfully aromatic ketchup with just the right consistency.
I suggest making a few bottles and setting them aside before the summer tomatoes are gone. Since this was my first attempt, I made a small batch. But I'll make another batch if I get the chance. In fact, once we get used to this delicious homemade ketchup, we'll probably start turning our noses up at store bought ketchup.
When choosing tomatoes for the ketchup, I tried to pick the reddest and meatiest tomatoes I could find. Unfortunately, I couldn't find tomatoes quite as good as I had hoped for, but even with tomatoes I wasn't completely happy with, the ketchup turned out delicious. If you can find san marzano tomatoes, they should be great for ketchup. However, they will probably be meatier than the tomatoes I used, so the cooking time may be different. Please adjust the cooking time according to how watery your tomatoes are. If your tomatoes are very juicy, for example, you may need to cook them for longer than an hour.
I used grape vinegar, but you can use whatever vinegar you like. That's why I didn't specify a particular type of vinegar in the recipe. I used mostly the celery stalks because they have a more intense flavor. Don't worry, the ketchup doesn't taste like celery at all; there's no way to tell that it contains celery. It simply helps balance the flavors. I removed the celery, garlic, and celery that I added for flavor before blending the ketchup, so they wouldn't lighten its color. If you prefer, you can blend the vegetables into the ketchup so their flavors come through more strongly. However, this will give the ketchup a more orange red color.
After adding the starch, I divided the ketchup into two portions and added hot pepper to one of them. This way, I ended up making both spicy and non spicy ketchup at the same time. You can try it this way too.
Enjoy!
Homemade Ketchup Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 4 kg red tomatoes,
- 1 onion,
- 3 cloves of garlic,
- 4 celery stalks,
- 1/3 cup sugar,
- 1/3 cup vinegar,
- 4 tbsps cornstarch,
- 1 tbsp salt.
Preparation
- Peel the tomatoes and grate them or blend them until smooth,
- Cut the onion into quarters and roughly chop the garlic,
- Cut the celery stalks in half,
- Place the grated tomatoes in a deep pot. Add the onion, garlic, celery stalks, and chopped chili peppers if you want your ketchup to be spicy. Place the pot over the heat,
- Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 1½ to 2 hours, until the mixture has reduced by about one quarter,
- Remove the onion, garlic, and celery stalks,
- Pass the tomato mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing it with the back of a spoon so that only the tomato seeds remain in the strainer,
- Transfer the smooth tomato mixture to a smaller pot,
- In a bowl, combine the vinegar, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and 1 ladleful of the strained tomato mixture. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and there are no lumps,
- Add this mixture to the pot and stir quickly to combine,
- Place the pot over low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the ketchup thickens,
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed by adding more salt, sugar, or vinegar according to your preference,
- After making these adjustments, continue cooking the ketchup for a few more minutes,
- Divide the ketchup among glass jars and seal the lids tightly,
- Place the jars in a pressure cooker filled with hot water,
- Close the lid and, once steam starts to escape, boil for 3 to 5 minutes,
- Leave the jars at room temperature overnight. The next day, check that the lids are properly sealed, then store the jars in a cool, dark cupboard.
Enjoy!