For some reason, learning how to make tomato ketchup makes people nervous. They go for years, eating the stuff from the supermarket, never knowing that making homemade ketchup is as easy as throwing a bunch of stuff in a blender and hitting the “on” button. Instead, they go for the sugar-laden ketchup they’ve been eating since they were a kid, complete with its high fructose corn syrup and weird preservatives.
Homemade ketchup is incredible. Like homemade mayonnaise, ketchup is so much better when you make it yourself, because you can make it taste however you like. Do you prefer it sweeter? That’s fine. Do you like it with a touch of spice? That’s great too. Do you want to try adding other favorite ingredients, experimenting with pungent spices such as cumin, dried red pepper, or curry powder? Well, I say go for it! When you learn how to make ketchup at home, the sky’s the limit.
When I say that making homemade ketchup is easy, I’m not kidding. The recipe below calls for cooked onions and garlic, but if you’re feeling saucy (heh) feel free to omit the cooking step and just toss them in the blender raw with the rest of your ingredients. The onion and garlic will taste much stronger that way, but if you enjoy those flavors, make it however you like!
How to Make Tomato Ketchup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 whole shallots diced
- 2 cloves of garlic diced
- One 15-ounce can peaches
- One 8-ounce can pineapple chunks
- Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Instructions
- Add olive oil and shallots to a small saucepan while it is still cold. Heat the pan over a low flame and cook the shallots until they begin to caramelize and smell sweet, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep them from burning. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Drain canned peaches and reserve liquid. Add peach slices to a the carafe of a blender along with the pineapple, tomato paste, vinegar, pepper, chili flakes, tamari, cayenne, molasses, thyme, and 1/4 cup of the reserved peach juice. Top with cooked shallots and garlic, and pulse until completely smooth. Add more tamari if you prefer a saltier sauce, or more peach juice if you like it sweeter.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like learning how to make ketchup, check out these other recipes:
- Pierre Herme’s Ketchup Macarons
- Turkey Salad Sandwiches with Cranberry Ketchup and Hot Chocolate Bisque
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.