Homemade Tomato Ketchup

Peel and quarter the tomatoes OR (better) pass them through a tomato food-mill. In a large non-reactive kettle (remember the vinegar coming later) start frying the onions in the olive oil. After a minute or 2 add the tomatoes and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

While the tomatoes are simmering - put the spices in a bag (I use a tea-strainer). In another non-reactive pot boil the vinegar with the spices in it. Once it has boiled for a minute you can turn off the heat. When the tomatoes are ready remove the spices and add the vinegar to the tomato mixture.

Bring back to a boil and simmer for another 30 minutes. (It will start to make wonderfully messy bubbles at this point). Let it cool for a bit (or be REALLY careful) and puree the mixture thoroughly in a food processor or blender.

Pour the mixture into a wide oven-proof (and still non-reactive) pan or pot and put it in the oven at 300 degrees F (the wider the better). Let it reduce in the oven by about 50% - check every 20-30 minutes. This may take up to 2 hours, but is considerably easier I find then the alternative of stirring it on the stove top for 30 minutes. When it is done it should mound up on a spoon without separating. You will probably need to remove a thin skin the will have formed on the top of the ketchup. (Which you can throw between two pieces of bread at eat - yum yum)

This can be canned in pint jars with processing in a boiling water bath 15 minutes.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Putting Food By by Janet Greene, Ruth Hertzberg, and Beatrice Vaughan.

Cook's Notes: This ketchup looks and feels just like Heinz but taste as if someone had turned the volume up to about 11.

It takes several hours to make this - but you can do other things at the same time and the result is great tasting ketchup for the year!.

I use 75% ROMA or other Italian sauce tomatoes and 25% big beefsteak or pink - something with solid flesh