If you like ketchup as much as I do, you’ll love this recipe for homemade ketchup. It’s packed with so much aromatic goodness that you’ll wonder why you ever used store-bought. It’s the best way to jazz up a burger and fries and feel good all the other times you reach for ketchup!

Yield: 4 Cups

Ingredients

1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 or 3 bay leaves
a sprinkle or two Salt and Pepper

Procedure

Toss all the ingredients into a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces one-half, about 30 minutes.

Here’s a trick to determine whether a liquid has reduced by half. In this recipe, stand a wooden spoon in the pot and mark the ketchup’s level on it. Use that mark as a reference to know when the mixture has reduced by half.

Cool the ketchup to room temperature (an agitated hot liquid always expands violently; it’ll explode all over your kitchen and make a huge mess), and then purée the mixture in a food process, blender or in the pot using an immersion blender.

Get some French fries and start dipping!

Variation

If you’re a fan of garlic, toss a whole head of peeled cloves into the pot. After the sauce is reduced, try adding your favourite hot sauce until the ketchup is pleasingly spicy.