Feb 2, 2023

Tomato Ketchup

Tomato Ketchup

Many can't wait for summer because of one specific food – tomatoes. And while in the summer we enjoy its rich flavors in the form of fresh salads, sauces, pizza toppings or similar dishes. In the winter, make homemade ketchup and preserve it so that you have an excellent addition to all meat dishes throughout the year, and we guarantee that you will never buy it in store. The preparation is simple, and it will be served with various dishes at any time of the year, so go for tomatoes and follow the recipes that we bring you below.

Preparation of tomatoes:

There are many varieties of tomatoes, and most are suitable for processing and canning. What will be the end result of the processed tomato depends on its quality, and varieties where no recipe can turn out bad are Roma, San Marzano and Tomatillos.
The stems and leaves of tomatoes are poisonous, so you should wash your hands well after each harvest. Choose ripe tomatoes, don't worry about their shape, but about their smell and weight. Avoid unripe, green tomatoes because such fruits contain poisonous solanine, which disappears only when the fruit ripens.
The best quality tomatoes ripen in June and July, and it is recommended to buy them from local growers at the markets.

Recipes

Tomato is a versatile food that is a great addition to many dishes or can be processed as a sauce, ajvar, soup, juice, or salsa. However, its most famous product is ketchup, an indispensable addition to various dishes such as almost all types of meat, potatoes, or pizza. The following are recipes for making homemade ketchup that you will be able to store for a long time and use in all dishes.

Homemade Ketchup

Below we bring you a simple recipe for ketchup with a rich flavor that is a great addition to any dish all year round. It is high-quality, natural, and healthy, and with the addition of paprika and onion, you will make an excellent vitamin supplement. We leave the tomato and pepper varieties up to you, because you won't go wrong with any of them, but we recommend the tomatoes mentioned above, such as Babura(bell peppers), Habanero or Jalapeño peppers. From the ingredients in the recipe, you will get approximately 2.5 liters of ketchup.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Peel the onion and cut into cubes if necessary.
Peel the onion and cut it into large pieces.
Clean and dice the paprika.
Place all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat and cook vegetables for about 10 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and turn up the heat. When it boils, reduce and cook the mixture for about 30 minutes, until it thickens. Don't forget to stir.
Remove the mixture from the heat and blend with a hand mixer.
When it becomes thin, return it to medium heat and cook until it thickens, about 2 — 2h and 30 min. with stirring often.
The ketchup is ready when the liquid drains from it. You can further blend it with a stick mixer.
When it is thick enough, pour it into jars, close and sterilize for 15 minutes by boiling in water.
Store the jars in a cool, dark place, and after opening, store them in the refrigerator.

Ketchup without sugar

If you like ketchup, but not unnecessary extra sugars, this recipe is ideal for you. With a simple 30-minute preparation, you will get a healthy side dish without any extras, perfect for any type of meal. From the ingredients listed in the recipe, you will get approximately 500 ml of ketchup.

Ingredients:

Preparation: (with puréed tomatoes)

Finely chop the onion and mix all the ingredients in a deep saucepan. Cook them on medium heat for about 30 minutes, until you reach the desired thickness. Season to taste. Beat additionally with a stick mixer. Pour into a jar, close, and store in a cool and dark place, and after opening in the refrigerator.

Preparation: (with fresh tomatoes)

Finely chop the onion and cook on medium heat with all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into larger pieces and add them to the pot. Cook until the tomatoes are soft, then blend them with a hand mixer. Return the mixture to the heat until it thickens. Chop all the remaining pieces of tomato and onion with a stick blender Pour the mixture of the desired thickness into a jar and close and store in a cool and dark place, and after opening in the refrigerator.

Ketchup without preservatives

The following is a completely natural recipe without preservatives. After preparation, it should be pasteurized, so that this homemade ketchup lasts as long as possible and serves as a side dish to various types of dishes. From the ingredients listed in the recipe, you will get 2 – 2.5 l of ketchup, depending on how long you cook it and what thickness you want to achieve.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Peel the onion and finely chop it or mix it.
Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems and strain through a juicer.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion. Add a little salt, then stir until it turns yellow.
Add tomato juice.
When the mixture boils, reduce the heat and add the spices. Finely chop the garlic, basil, sage, and parsley and add the remaining spices if desired.
At the end of cooking, the bay leaf should be removed from the mixture.
When the sauce thickens, add the apple cider vinegar and let it cook over medium heat until it reaches the desired thickness.
Blend with a stick blender to chop the vegetables
Pour the mixture into jars, close, and store in a cool and dark place, and after opening in the hallway.

Use in the kitchen

During the making of homemade ketchup, it is extremely important to store and preserve it properly, and the sterilization process is also important. The jars should be washed well with detergent in warm water, dried and then boiled in a bowl of water for at least 15 minutes. When they boil, the jars are ready for further use. Pour ketchup into jars, close tightly and store in a dark, cool, and dry place for up to 18 months, and if you want to preserve its quality even after that time, freeze it in disposable plastic cups. After opening the jar, store the ketchup in the refrigerator. Ketchup is the top sauce in almost every kitchen, from American, Latin American, Italian, and even ours. It can be served with sandwiches, burgers, grilled meat, French fries and pizza. There are different varieties of this sauce, so it can be mixed with curry powder to get a slightly hotter version, or mayonnaise and mustard if you are a fan of different combinations of sauces.

Recipe for smaller amount and preservative

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Wash and blend the tomatoes (best in a multipurpose bowl).
Clean the onion and also mix it.
Pour the blended tomatoes and blended onions into a suitable container and cook for about 45 minutes.
Cool the mass enough to purée.
Purée the cooled mass well (if you don't have a blender, you can also squeeze it through a strainer) and boil the resulting juice to the desired consistency.
Just before the end of cooking, add wine vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper and preservative, and cook for another ten minutes.
Pour the still hot ketchup into clean jars.
Close immediately.
Store ketchup in a cool and dark place.