Ingredients
- 8 cups chopped, peeled plum tomatoes (about 4 pounds)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
- 2/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pickling salt
- 1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Directions
- Place tomatoes, onion, and red pepper in a blender, and process until smooth. Transfer to a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan, and add vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and boil gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in sugar and pickling salt.
- Tie cinnamon stick, allspice, cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaf in cheesecloth, and add to saucepan. Return to a boil, and boil gently, uncovered, stirring often, until volume is reduced by half or mixture rounds up on a spoon without separation, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove spice bag.
- Ladle ketchup into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process jars for 15 minutes.
For more recipes, see Small-Batch Condiments.
Ellie Topp is a Professional Home Economist and a Certified Culinary Professional with a master’s degree in food science, and Margaret Howard is a Registered Dietitian, a Professional Home Economist, and a food and nutrition consultant. Both have authored and co-authored many cookbooks. This article is excerpted with per-mission from their book The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Delicious Recipes to Use Year-Round (Firefly Books Ltd.).
The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving takes the guesswork out of home preserving. Both beginners and pros can make the most of fresh fruits and vegetables when these are readily available and inexpensive. Because these recipes require a minimum of time and fuss, home cooks will enjoy creating the preserves almost as much as everyone else will enjoy tasting them.
Included are both traditional and new recipes. Detailed instructions provide the safest and latest processing methods. Some recipes are suitable for microwaves. A brand-new chapter features freezer preserving as an alternative to the traditional methods.
