K is for Ketchup

'Still been gardening all this time, but now I'm starting to harvest... tomatoes, no less so K is for ketchup! I found this ketchup recipe on Jay DeMay's blog. She has recipes for paleo and whole30 (right in line with my current eating plan) so I tried her ketchup recipe using my home-grown tomatoes. I love ketchup on so many things, but most store-bought varieties have too much sugar for me.

Using my latest tomato harvest, I whipped up a batch today using Cherokee purple, Costoluto Genovese and smaller stupice and punta banda. First, I cored the tomatoes, then chopped them and cooked them in a big pot until they were quite soft, about 30 minutes. After they cooled, I ran the whole batch through a ricer to remove the seeds and skin. It worked like a charm with a resultant velvety smooth tomato puree.

Jay's recipe calls for canned roasted tomatoes which I would have used too but I had fresh so that's what I went with. I've made ketchup before so I added some extra spices that I've used in previous batches. In her photos, the ketchup looks chunky but I wanted mine to be smooth like regular ketchup so I pureed it in the Vitamix. The taste and texture were perfect with just enough sweetness! Here's my recipe:

Paleo Whole30 Compliant Ketchup 

• 1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cups of fresh tomato puree (cooked)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup bone broth or water
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon each of smokey paprika, cayenne, ground cloves, and ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan.
2. Cook on medium low for 30 minutes and then turn heat off.
3. When cool, add tomato pulp to a ricer to remove the seeds and skin.
4. Blend in Vitamix for smoothest consistency.
5. Store in mason jars or similar jars in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Yields 3 cups.