Did you know that in 15ml of your standard Heinz Ketchup there is 1 teaspoon of sugar?! That’s a lot of unrefined sugar and most of us wouldn’t dream of giving our child a teaspoon of sugar with a main meal!
I set about making my own homemade version for my daughter’s birthday party last year, we had a forest school birthday party in the woods in November, everyone thought I was crazy but it worked beautifully. I decided whatever the weather they needed to have warm food and for a BBQ most 6/7 year olds demand ketchup so I had to create something that would pass the young person test! With this recipe I had not a single complaint, all was gobbled up and even the adults couldn’t quite believe it wasn’t Heinz! The best bit, I didn’t have to use a ton of sugar or salt either.
My little secret!!…. Beetroot powder, not only does it give the ketchup the most authentic colour (goodness knows how Heinz achieves it but I’m guessing it doesn’t come from tomatoes) previously a paler orange in colour but it also adds a delicious natural sweetness to the ketchup.
I make my ketchup in an enormous batch (just over 1 litre size bottle) because, honestly I don’t have the time to keep knocking up ketchup but feel free to half or quater my quantities if you want to use less tomatoes. The ketchup has kept fresh in my fridge for a good few weeks but I have been known to ferment it too by adding some kraut juice or goat milk kefir whey, leaving it out for a few hours and then transferring to the fridge. I prefer the kraut juice to ferment with because I don’t like the slightly effervescent texture from whey in my ketchup, in my mind, credibly ketchup should taste silky in texture.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are full of health benefits, I buy on the vine organic tomatoes, I’m sure like myself you’ve realised the superiority in taste but this also allows the tomatoes to retain more nutrients and antioxidants, otherwise they are picked very early to ripen in stores. Tomatoes are known for the nutrient Lycopene which is shown here and here to have cancer protective capabilities. Lycopene has been shown to increase its bio-availability through cooking and it is also fat soluble so tomatoes need to be cooked with a fat like this recipe. Tomatoes are also known for their anti-inflammatory benefits and high levels of vitamin C boosting natural immunity.
- 900g of large tomatoes chopped
- 400g of cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 sticks of celery
- 2 cloves of garlic sliced
- 1 red onion
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon of garam masala
- Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of beetroot powder
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of runny raw honey (optional)
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the tomatoes, red onion and celery and cook gently until soft
- Add the spices, salt and pepper and continue to simmer until the vegetable juice releases and the liquid halves in quantity stirring occasionally, allow this to take about 20-30 minutes
- Allow to cool and then blend in a liquidiser, I used my vitamix
- Add back to the pan and continue to simmer until the ketchup has reached the desired consistency, I like to thicken mine further
- Allow to cool again and add the balsamic, beetroot powder and raw honey, I shake mine in the jar to ensure it is well combined.
- A delicious addition to your every day meals and a firm favourite with children without the junk!
