Fresh Tomato Ketchup

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 5 lbs tomatoes, ripe, quartered
• 3 medium red onions, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon allspice berry
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 slice fresh ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 pinch cayenne

Recipe

• 1 place the tomatoes, onions, bell pepper and garlic in a large pot.
• 2 bring to boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
• 3 pass through the finest blade of a food mill to make a semi-smooth puree. alternatively, puree in the blender until smooth and pass through a fine strainer. place the puree back in the cleaned soup pot.
• 4 place the peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice berries, cloves, celery seeds, ginger, cinnamon stick and bay leaves on a piece of cheesecloth and tie it up to form a bag.
• 5 add to the tomatoes, along with the brown sugar, paprika, mace, cider vinegar, salt and cayenne.
• 6 simmer slowly, stirring frequently, until the ketchup is very thick, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. remove the cheesecloth bag and discard.
• 7 ketchup can be cooled and stored in a sealed plastic container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
• 8 alternatively, you can put ketchup in sterilized jars. to do so, first wash the jars in hot, soapy water. rinse well. bring a large pot of water to a boil. add 4 pint jars and lids and boil 1 minute. remove with tongs and drain.
• 9 while the ketchup is still hot, pour it into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headroom. seal and place in boiling water bath for 12 minutes. remove and cool.