We don't buy tomato ketchup any more. Our own variety
is more tasty and doesn't have colouring in it like the
commercial variety does.
When I first made this recipe I strained
it all through a sieve which was a laborious job.
Now I just put the Bamix (hand held
blender stick) into the hot sauce and blend away merrily for
a couple of minutes.
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 kg (5 pounds) tomatoes
350 gm (12 ounces) apples (about 3 apples)
1 and
3/4 cups white vinegar
250 gm (8 ounces) onions
1 level teaspoon white pepper
1/4 level teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 level teaspoon ground cloves
Small piece fresh ginger, about the size of the end of your
thumb
1 level teaspoon allspice or mixed spice
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 level tablespoons salt
2 cups sugar
Method:
Core the apples but don't peel them. Roughly cut up
apples, tomatoes and onions and place in large pot with
remaining ingredients.
Bring to the boil. Remove the lid
from the pan. Boil for
an hour ensuring that you stir more frequently as the sauce
thickens.
Blend till smooth with a Bamix (hand held blender stick).
Carefully pour into hot bottles. Seal whilst hot.
Notes:
Any sort of tomatoes will do. I've successfully
used the little Tom Thumb variety. I didn't even
bother cutting them - it was so easy.
Make sure you maintain the stirring towards the end of
the cooking time, otherwise you'll end up with ketchup stuck
to the bottom of the pan.
If you only have brown vinegar then still use it.
Your sauce will be a little darker but will still be
delicious.
Food Facts:
Tomatoes first grew as wild cherry sized fruits in the South
American Andes but the tomato as we know it today, originates from
Mexico. Tomato seeds were taken back to the Mediterranean
countries where they quickly became popular. There are now
more than 7,000 varieties of tomatoes. Eating tomatoes at least two
times per week is now believed to reduce the risk of prostate cancer
and to be beneficial in fighting other forms of cancer. The
key ingredient in tomatoes is Lycopene which is a carotenoid.
Cooking tomatoes, most especially in oil, releases the lycopene
making it more available to the body. Tomatoes are also said
to be good for the eyes. Tomatoes that are ripened on the vine
have far more vitamin C than those that are picked green.
