Catsup, Catchup, Ketchup

"My mother cooked this in a huge old iron pot that had belonged to her mother. The bottom was charred from actually hanging over an open fire." Mary Merz

• 4 quarts tomatoes
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3 inch piece of stick cinnamon
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves
• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt

METHOD

Clean and quarter tomatoes. Place in 8 quart pot with onion, celery, and green pepper. Bring to a boil, and simmer until ingredients are soft, about     1 1/2 hours. Let cool.

Meanwhile, place cinnamon, garlic, bay leaf and cloves in a cheesecloth bag. Simmer in the vinegar, in tightly covered saucepan for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, discard the bag.

When tomatoes have cooled, pass through a food mill or puree in a food processor.

Add the spiced vinegar and rub through a sieve.

Return to high heat. Add paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well. Boil rapidly to reduce, stirring, about ten minutes. When thickened, pour into clean, hot sterile jars. Fill jars to top and seal tightly.

Yield: About 3 1/2 - 4 pints

This recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributor: Mary Merz for Theresa Farrell

We had almost come to believe that catsup springs fully cooked in the ubiquitous supermarket containers. Although the available products are wonderful, it's fun to try it yourself. By the way, the word 'ketchup' comes from the Siamese kachiap. That makes us wonder about the origin of ketchup.

read more about catsup - more recipes

 

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