I’m heading back in time slightly with this post. It’s actually quite therapeutic looking at all this wonderful summer produce amidst this dreary winter weather. I made ketchup. Or more specifically home made tomato ketchup. During my heirloom tomato phase, I found myself with quite a few leftover and was racking my brains out for ideas on how to best use them. Surfing the internet I found a recipe from Todd and Diane from the White on Rice Couple blog. The recipe was simple, easy and very quick to prepare.
When I was preparing the recipe, I thought about how much I love tomato ketchup. Especially with fries. Or chips as we say here in Australia. Especially if you use good potatoes, a clean, neutral oil for frying and plenty of salt on the hot chips. Dip them in and enjoy this slightly guilty pleasure!
In Australia, we refer to “ketchup” as tomato sauce. Although my research online did indicate that ketchup contains vinegar in its ingredients whereas the Aussie tomato sauce does not. If you want to be truly Australian you could also interchange the words “tomato sauce’ for “dead horse”! It’s what we refer to as rhyming slang. Whatever you want to call it it’s still delicious! Apart from chips you could also smother it over a home made hamburger like I did. In the end, just make sure you use good quality ingredients. The heirloom tomatoes were magical in this recipe and I plan on making some more when they are back in season.
RECIPE FOR HOME MADE TOMATO KETCHUP
(adapted from white on rice couple’s recipe here-I did vary the recipe slightly by omitting ingredients I didn’t have and cooking the mixture for 15 mins at the end.)
Step 1
- 1 1/2 kilos of heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 medium sized red onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp of Black Peppercorns
- 2 tsp of Mustard Seeds
- 2 allspice berries
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/2″ Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp of smoked paprika
- a pinch ground chilies
Step 2
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- Place all the step 1 ingredients into a large stockpot and simmer slowly for about 45 mins or until 1/3 of the juices have been evaporated. Stir frequently whilst cooking.
- Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- Once cooled place the tomato mixture in a food processor or blender and blend on HIGH for about 1 minute
- Strain the blended mixture through a sieve and into a sauce pan, making sure you have extracted as much juice as possible from the pulp.
- Place the saucepan on a medium heat and add the step 2 ingredients and allow to simmer for about 10-15 mins. (if you prefer a thinner consistency do this step for 5 minutes)
- Once cooked store in a sterilised jar for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator
Hi! I'm Peter. Welcome to Souvlaki For The Soul. My "little" space on the web. My blog is choc full of recipes, travel stories and photos. Have a good look around and enjoy your time here. Cheers!
Nothing beats homemade tomato sauce. I can smell the freshness from the tomatoes!
Peter what a great idea to make your own ketchup. Asbolutely delicious.
What a lovely idea to make your own tomato sauce. I must admit I did pause a little longer when I saw the pic with the hot chips. Yum! Chips and tommy-ato sauce are an essential combination!
I remember my mother making tomato sauce. I don’t think I’ve ever attempted it. Maybe next summer I’ll try. Great photos, I especially love the second photo. I’ve spent more than a few happy afternoons sitting in a bar eating chips and sauce, and drinking shandy.
Pete, the smoked paprika in here wins me over. Frying a batch of potatoes with some homemade ketchup would make an otherwise standard side into somethin” special.
I have been trying to find a good recipe for tomato sauce for ages! What I like about this recipe is that it doesn’t use too many ingredients
so the tomato flavour should really come through. I’ve bookmarked this for when my tomato plants comes in season in summer.
This is the time when I wish I still had a garden to grow heirloom tomatoes Peter. It would be filled to the brim with Mortgage Burners and Brandywines. The heirlooms are so sweet they would make the ketchup phenominal.
The ingredients you used tell me your ketchup must be a blast!!!! I have to make it for my daughter… she adores ketchup and pours it over nearly anything! Just have to wait a bit for seasonal tomatoes
.
Thanks!
Your pictures are brilliant! Can’t take my eyes off that one with French fries. I’m adding this recipe to my summer to-try list. Thank you!
You take me back to the days of my childhood where we would only enjoy home made ‘tomato sauce’! Ketchup being very American, entered our vocabulary much later! I’d love to make this soon, though all we get is regular tomatoes, no vintage looking heirloom ones as beautiful as the ones you have here!! Gorgeous styling and photography!
Mmmhhh, that ketchup looks luscious! Very flavorful. In homemade burgers, it must taste soooo good!
Cheers,
Rosa
I never think of making ketchup at home, Peter. But this recipe sounds simple enough.
This post makes me miss summer – the beautiful tomatoes, and that lovely light.
wow, so I`m going to do this ketchup
Great recipe
ah well Sydney just like Cape Town here is in winter .. at least we have some sun today ready for the Worldcup! thanks for your amazing recipes !
Homemade looks much better..i bet it tastes much better as well..
Fabulous presentation the photos are mouth water inducing!
We have quite a few tumbling tomato plants this year and this is a recipe I will definitely be trying, Thanks.
Ketchup (or some type of tomato chutney) is on my to-do list this summer, once my tomatoes are all up. Such a nice thing to can for the pantry! And yes, a wonderful way to stave off the winter stodge.
Absolutely gorgeous photos and I cannot wait to try this recipe. I have sent it to myself already and will be making it this weekend. Thank you, Peter… just in time for grilling season!
Valerie
How cool! I want to make some dead horse now! Waiting for the end of summer now for the surplus of heirlooms. Love your photos! xoxo
Oh, Peter. I love your photos so much that if I ever run into you I’ll ask for your autograph.
my ma would always make tomato sauce. back in India we got introduced to the ketchup when were were quite grown. thanks for making me relive the memories.. looks beautiful.
That ketchup looks great!!
You must be #58 on the Heinz variety of 57 (the most popular ketchup brand in the U.S.
I, frankly, would prefer the fresh, unadulterated heirloom tomatoes — but I guess if you have excess, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Chips with tomato sauce is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. It just tastes so good when you have beautiful hot chips (not the fish and chip shop variety) and a proper tomato sauce (not the bottled variety).
Your tomato sauce looks and sounds delicious (and so do the chips too). I’m literally salivating looking at the beautiful photos.
This ketchup would have a short shelf life in our house, as we generously smear it on potatoes and sandwiches. Now if only I could make the tomato plants grow faster…
This is very timely Peter. I recently made ketchup too, but I wasn’t totally happy with it…looking at your recipe there are a lot of interesting spices…perhaps I need to get more funky with my spices!
I was never one that liked etchup–as a kid I actually never even wanted to look at it, never mind eat it! Now, the only thing I will eat it with is fries. I like the allspice and cinnamon as well as mustard seeds you’ve used Peter. A very different version of ketchup indeed, but one I would much rather be eating with my fries! I made a “barbecue sauce” using allspice and cinnamon the other day and served it with burgers. But I would love to create this ketchup as soon as I have fresh tomatoes on hand.
We are just getting ready to have summer tomatoes. I hope my plants do well, but who knows. You took a simple american type meal and made it completely blog worthy, as usual. The french fry or chip is not right without it’s ketchup/tomato sauce.
P.S. What do you all call tomato sauce? The hot cooked tomatoes for pasta?
that looks delicious! growing up in india, i witnessed a lot of my family making ketchup, but i never tried it…perhaps if i get a bounty of tomatoes
That is a great recipe! When I go to Australia I will make sure to ask for tomato sauce as opposed to ketchup. I need to try this now that it is almost fresh tomato season in this part of the world.
That’s incredible Peter! Ever since you mentioned you made your own ketchup I’ve been eagerly waiting for this post – it did not disappoint! I love how much more vibrant it looks, and it seems to have more texture… I know this is going to taste much better than the store bought stuff!
The only homemade preserve I’ve attempted is quince chutney which I am totally addicted to and now I feel I must make this tomato sauce and become addicted twice over.
The photography on your blog is so beautiful it almost makes me weep!
I am obviously a huge fan of homemade fries. Homemade ketchup is new to me but I am definitely intrigued. Thanks for sharing
Apple cider vinegar and tomatoes make the perfect couple. I’m glad to have seen it in your recipe. I do have my own…however, I’m taking yours down in order to create a merge of sorts. Now, all that’s missing is great tomatoes ;O)
Thanks for this lovely version of Ketchup.
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
Looks wonderful Peter! I still remember one of my first trips down under. I asked for Ketchup at a hamburger place and they looked at me like I stepped off the plane from Mars. It took me while to pantomime dipping fries in sauce before they got it.
Too funny – I actually just saved a recipe for homemade ketchup that I saw yesterday, but I will have to compare it to this one, which sounds great. Love the pics, as usual!
I was today just thinking what to do with all the ripe, tasty tomatoes I’ve been buying from the farmer’s market. This is a wonderful idea Peter. I will definitely make this. It looks fantastic!
Magda
I love ketchup too. The cinnamon surprised me though. I have never attempted ketchup. I have done mustard and was surprised how much better it was than bottled stuff. I bet ketchup is even more so! GREG
There is a certain smugness about making your own tomato ketchup. I haven’t done it so far this year, but the Summer isn’t over yet …..
I remember this is one of the first things I made in my high school hospitality class (I can’t say it was executed with quite so much finesse though) and I can’t believe I haven’t bothered since because homemade ketchup is so beautiful. Maybe when I have my garden up & running it will be a nice way to preserve the best of the tomatoes.
Awesome recipe Peter – it’s got me all excited as I can’t wait to try this one out!
I got to try this out and maybe do a little taste test against Heinz. Should be a fun experiemnt.
Thought I would share an old recipe for Ketchup we use.
1920′s Heinz’ Ketchup
5 gal. tomato pulp
1 pt. chopped onions
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
red pepper to taste
1 1/2 pts. vinegar
3 1/2 lbs. sugar
1/2 lb. salt
Tie cloves and allspice in bag. In large pot, stir pulp, onions, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, vinegar.
Boil down to 3 gallons.
Then add: 3 1/2 lbs. Sugar, 1/2 lb. salt
Next boil down to 2 1/2 gallons or to right thickness & bottle.
handwritten recipe from Lillian Fuire
received in 1929
nice!!!
I hope you don’t mind but I gave this recipe a mention on my fresh out of the oven blog. This was the first time I have ever made tomato sauce and I was super nervous about losing the majority of our tomato harvest from the garden if I stuffed this up. Instead it turned out better than store brought tomato sauce and I am so super proud. I have passed on your blog details with all the bottles of sauce that I have given to family and friends. This recipe has now been added to “main recipe journal” and is sure to become a regular at our place. I also took the time to stop over and vote for you at Saveur. All the best!
Hi could you please tell me if you think this could be frozen at all… thanks, we are an additive free family so I tend to make things in advance and freeze them until needed….
Hi Kristy. I sent you an email…
Hi just wondering about the storage of the sauce… Is it 3 weeks in the fridge once opened? I’d like make a big batch and keep sealed jars of it in the cupboard. Thanks
Hi April
I only made a single batch and once opened stored it in the fridge. If you follow sterilisation procedures on your jars I’m sure it will store well in the cupboard.
Hello, whilst hiding in my secret tunnels somewhere in the world i am enjoying your tomato sauce it tastes delightful
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