Hello and Happy New Year! I hope you’re feeling great and ready to tackle all that 2015 holds in store. We watched Harry Potter + The Sorcerer’s Stone and were in bed by 11pm… a good night all around.
This morning, after my requisite Gilmore Girls viewing, I whipped up some homemade ketchup to go along with my sweet potato hash browns and eggs. I found the recipe at The Clothes Make the Girl and it’s from her second cookbook, Well Fed 2. Based on my Pal’s reaction to the ketchup (the word fantastic was tossed around), I’d really like to get my hands on a copy.
The ketchup comes together pretty quickly, though if you’re one who prefers cold ketchup no matter what, you won’t want to make this right before you need it. On the plus side, warm, homemade ketchup on hash browns is pretty dynamite.
The initial mixture (tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, boiling water and dates) has to sit and meld for 10-15 minutes and it is pretty pungent. I’m not sure about you, but the sweetness of dates combined with the acrid aroma of ACV is not what I really want to get a whiff of early in the morning. But, hang in there, because the end product is nothing like what you see above.
Once things are spiced and boil and simmer and get stored in a mason jar, you get this. Sweet, flavorful, and decadent. This Whole30 is going to be alright, friends!
Kickass Ketchup from Well Fed 2
**Please note the original recipe did not include salt. Make as you wish!
Ingredients:
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 dried figs (or dates), coarsely chopped
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground allspice
1/2 cup water
Directions:
1. Place tomato paste, 1/3 cup boiling water, vinegar, and figs in a blender or food processor. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to soften the figs, then purée until smooth, scraping down the sides a few times to make sure the figs are incorporated. Set aside.
2. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil and allow it to melt, about 2 minutes. Add dry mustard, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice to pan and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Remove from heat, then add tomato purée to the pan and stir until combined. Return to heat and cook 2-3 minutes, then add remaining 1/2 cup water, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes. (The ketchup will thicken as it cools, but if you like it thicker, allow it to cook slightly longer. Want it thinner? Add a bit of water.)
4. Cool the ketchup to room temperature before you eat it. Transfer to a container with a lid and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.