… some more homemade ketchup variations

After my first experiment in ketchup making – all of it already eaten or given away as presents – I made a second batch last weekend … or to be precise three variations on my basic recipe:

a fruity one with apricots, …

…a fresh herby one with green tomatoes, mango and coriander and …

… a smoky BBQ ketchup with pimentón dulce ahumado and coffee.

Amazing – all of them … and I am thinking already about new flavourful combinations. Any recommendations? experiences?

If you’re comparing the recipe here with my fist one you might recognize that the tomato paste is missing. I forgot to buy some, and realized this, when I had the three pots already on the stove. So I decided to leave it out. Works well without it.

Basic ketchup recipe (makes about 1 l)

ingredients
2 kg of tomatoes and/or fruit, 1 big/2 small onions, 2 garlic cloves, 150 ml white balsamic vinegar, 200 g brown sugar, 2-3 teaspoons salt, pepper, 2 bay leaves + other optional spices

preparation
Wash and cut vegetable/fruit into chunks. Peel and dice onions and garlic. In a big pot heat olive oil, sautée onions and garlic until transparent and add vegetable/fruit. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Purée with a handheld blender. Add spices (you could use a spice bag), salt, vinegar and sugar and simmer at low heat for 1½ -2 hours without (or halve closed) lid, until the sauce has reached a creamy texture.

Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and pour back into pot. Bring to boil once again, season to taste and fill into sterilized jars or bottles.

Variation I – Tomato apricot ketchup
1 kg tomatoes, 1 kg apricots + 5 cardamon pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 8 teaspoon allspice berries, 1 teaspoon kurkuma, ½ teaspoon cumin

Variation II – Green tomato mango ketchup with coriander
1 kg green tomatoes, 1 mango (about 300 g), 2 small green peppers + ½ bunch coriander (reduce amount of vinegar, sugar and salt relatively)

Variation III – Barbeque ketchup
2 kg tomatoes (oven roasted before cooking) + 2 teaspoons smoked paprika powder + 1 espresso + 1 cinnamon stick, 8 teaspoon allspice berries, 8 cloves