Homemade ketchup

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N/A

Makes about 2 litres

Source

Ingredients

4 good-size onions , very roughly chopped

250g celery , very roughly chopped

5 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

4 garlic cloves , sliced

1 tsp ground coriander

1 short cinnamon stick

1 tsp allspice

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp celery salt

2kg ripe tomatoes , roughly chopped

3 tbsp tomato purée

½ tsp Tabasco sauce

200ml white wine vinegar

200g golden caster sugar

Method

Put the onions and celery into a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a very large saucepan, add the onions and celery, cover, then soften over a low heat for 5 mins. Add the garlic, cook 5 mins more, then tip in the spices and cook for 1 min.

Now stir in all remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Keep on a bubbling simmer, uncovered, for 1 hr until the tomatoes are squashy and the liquid has reduced by several inches. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Whizz the mix with a stick blender until smooth, then sieve into a bowl. The ketchup will thicken a little when it cools, but if yours seems very runny (this will depend on the juiciness of your tomatoes), put it back on the heat and cook a little longer, stirring often, until reduced. Keep the ketchup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months, or freeze in batches. If you like, keep in sterilised bottles or jars for up to 6 months - see tip, below.