Originally Ketchup in England was made with pickled mushrooms and no tomatoes, and although tomato ketchup is pretty much the only kind that is made these days, ketchup really refers to any condiment that is concentrated and that contains a lot of sugar and vinegar. It’s easy to make homemade ketchup and it tastes great— but ironically it costs a lot more to make it from scratch than to buy a bottle.
4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 med onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, cut into small chunks
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 c water
1 stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice
5 peppercorns
1. Place all the ingredients in a large pot, bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 30 mins.
2. remove the pot form the heat, pour the contents into a large sieve set over a large bowl and push it through with a rubber spatula until all the juice is extracted. Discard the remaining pulp, skin, seeds and spices.
3. Return the cooked tomato mixture to the pot and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally until it is reduced and very thick, about 30 mins.