If I were to rank condiments in order of deliciousness, ketchup would end up on the bottom of my list.
My love for Dijon mustard has been vocally expressed on the blog, so that’s clearly the winner, but every once in a while I advise branching out of your comfort zone and trying something new. Like making homemade ketchup.
This idea lodged itself in my brain with the arrival of fresh horseradish in our CSA. I decided that in addition to making a horseradish hummus I would also make cocktail sauce.
Cocktail sauce, of course, is just ketchup mixed with horseradish and a couple accoutrements, but it seemed like a cop out to post “mix horseradish and ketchup” on a blog where people expect things to be made from scratch. So homemade ketchup it is.
And what do you know, this ketchup is something I can get behind. It’s rich, not too sweet, and has a great tang. This is a ketchup that makes me wish the grill was still in the backyard and not in its permanent holding spot until the ground thaws.
I give you this recipe in two parts: first, you make the ketchup. You can then choose to turn all or none of it into cocktail sauce, depending on what you prefer. Unlike the store bought stuff, you’ll need to consume this ketchup and cocktail sauce within the month, or otherwise freeze it and come back to it the next time you’re having a cocktail party and a shrimp platter is on the menu.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup homemade ketchup
- 5 tablespoons freshly ground horseradish
- 2 big dashes of Tabasco sauce, plus more to taste
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and red bell pepper for 6-8 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Add garlic and tomato paste, and stir until the paste darkens a bit, about 2 minutes. Stir in canned tomatoes, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, ground allspice, ground cloves, cayenne, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes. Ketchup should be a nice dark red and thick.
- Let cool completely. Remove bay leaf, then transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Taste, adjust the seasoning.
- Transfer to an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks or in the freezer for longer.
- The above recipe yields 2½ cups of ketchup, so scale up the remaining ingredients if you plan to turn it all into cocktail sauce.
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
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