Tomato season is in its peak. Some of us are lucky and have a garden or some space to grow their own tomatoes. My parents for example. Lucky me to be in Austria right now to visit my parents and right in time to eat all their aromatic veggies. This summer was extremely hot in Austria and apparently tomatoes like this kind of climate. The harvest has never been better and the tomstoes never tasted better, simply delicious …. so aromatic and intense. I almost forgot how tomatoes are supposed to taste.

Besides eating them right off the vine, raw in salads or on dark bread with butter and cheese, I love making homemade ketchup. You will need about 2 lbs (1 kg) of fresh tomatoes to get 2 ½ to 3 cups of ketchup. You will see, ketchup never tasted better!

The recipe is pretty straight forward. Besides tomatoes and vinegar you will only need some sugar and herbs, that’s it. If you don’t have any fresh tomatoes on hand – in winter for example – your preferred choice will be tomato sauce. And once you have tried the homemade version you will be hooked, I promise ;-)

Recipe for homemade ketchup – pretty easy:

You will need these ingredients for homemade ketchup.

 Cut tomatoes in chunks.

 Crush one clove of garlic (leave some skin on).

Mix white wine vinegar, cinnamon, sugar and coriander in a medium size pot and let simmer for 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes, bay leaf, crushed garlic (or quartered onion), Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and salt.

Add ground mustard through a fine sieve.

Let the ketchup simmer at low heat for about half an hour, stir every now and then.

Remove the pot from the heat, take out garlic (or onion) and bay leaf. Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes, then blend the mixture in a blender or with a hand held blender (in a proper jar).

Put the pureed ketchup back into the pot, add corn starch through a fine sieve and let cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

As soon as the ketchup reaches a creamy consistency, press it through a strainer into a bowl.

The strainer should hold back the seeds and skins.

Pour the ketchup in jars or glass bottles with the help of a funnel and close them thightly.

 Enjoy!

Homemade Ketchup

Yield: 2 1/2 to 3 cups (700 ml)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs (1 kg) fresh tomatoes, washed and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (150 ml) white wine vinegar
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar (55 g)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 clove garlic with skin (or a very small yellow onion, 80 g)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground yellow mustard
• 1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

Instructions

1. Mix white wine vinegar, cinnamon, sugar and coriander in a medium size pot and let simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Peel the outer skin of the garlic and slightly crush it with the flat side of a knife. Leave some skin on so the garlic doesn’t fall apart easily. If you don’t like garlic, use a very small onion instead. Peel, the onion and quarter it.
3. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, crushed garlic (or quartered onion), Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and salt.
4. Add ground mustard through a fine sieve.
5. Let the ketchup simmer at low heat for about half an hour, stir every now and then.
6. Remove the pot from the heat, take out garlic (or onion) and bay leaf. Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes, then blend the mixture in a blender or with a hand held blender (in a proper jar).
7. Put the pureed ketchup back into the pot, add corn starch through a fine sieve and let cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
8. As soon as the ketchup reaches a creamy consistency, press it through a strainer into a bowl. The strainer should hold back the seeds and skins.
9. Pour the ketchup in jars or glass bottles with the help of a funnel and close them thightly.
10. Refrigerate and use within a month.

Notes

If you want to make homemade ketchup when tomatoes are out of season you can use tomato sauce (if possible without salt and herbs like garlic powder,….). For a 7 oz (400 g) can of tomato sauce, use 1/3 of the ingredients. Since tomato sauce is usually way thicker than if you are cooking fresh tomatoes there is no need to add starch and usually the cooking time is shorter to reach a creamy consistency. If the tomato sauce already contains salt, reduce the amount of salt added to about 1/8 teaspoon.

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https://www.lilvienna.com/homemade-ketchup/

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