If you are going to go to the trouble of making a great burger or hand-cut fries, why not let your ketchup rise to the occasion.
This ketchup is closer to the true origins of ketchup. It is spicier, more savoury and far more complex than any of the popular brands. Taste it side by side with that bottle in your fridge and judge for yourself.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp best-available balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3⁄4 tsp ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp mustard powder
1⁄4 tsp ground cloves
2 star anise, ground up in a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder
3⁄4 tsp harissa
1 can (14 oz) whole, crushed or diced plum tomatoes (fire roasted, if available)
2 tbsp raisins
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium-size pot over medium heat, add oil, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add vinegars and brown sugar. Increase heat and reduce liquids for 2 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, spices, harissa, tomatoes (including the liquid) and raisins. Simmer for about 10 minutes until pan contents begin to thicken. Let cool, then purée. Leave as is for a rustic, chutney-like texture, or
for a similar mouthfeel to store-bought ketchup, push the purée through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer.
Taste for salt, spices and acid balance, and adjust if desired.
Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks.
COOKING TIME < 30 minutes
YIELD About 11⁄2 cups (slightly less if you strain it)
Gastronaut, author, and eight-time Guinness World Record holder Bob Blumer is best known as the creator and host of Food Network’s award-winning shows Surreal Gourmet, Glutton for Punishment, and World’s Weirdest Restaurants. He has also written seven cookbooks in which he transforms ordinary ingredients into wow-inspiring dishes through simple cooking methods and whimsical presentations that have become his culinary trademark. His 7th book Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better is a collection of the tricks, tips, hacks and techniques he gleaned as he ate his way around the globe for the past 25 years. The Toronto Sun says “Blumer once again pushes boundaries, but in a way that encourages readers to let go their own culinary hesitations to create simple meals built on layers of flavor.”
Bob is a long-term ambassador for Second Harvest, Toronto, a perishable food bank. He is also the ambassador for Love Food/Hate Waste, a national Canadian zero-waste initiative. When he is not traveling for work or pleasure, the transplanted Canadian cycles daily in the canyons near his home in the Hollywood Hills, doing his best to stay in shape for his next big adventure.
