Homemade Ketchup

I stumbled upon a homemade ketchup recipe in Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook and was surprised that I never even considered making my own. The latest organic offering from Heinz is rich and delicious on fries and hotdogs - why mess with perfection. A challenge was born.

The basic premise is to cook down some veggies, spices and herbs until the concentrated flavor hits the delicious meter. This was more challenging that I anticipated. In the end, I changed up the recipe quite a bit. The flavor was more complex but not tomatoey enough so the next day I added 3 cups of V8 and cooked it down for another 2 hours. The end result was an intense roasted veggie and tomato concoction that will go toe to toe with any store bought brand.

Homemade Ketchup, Round 1

1 large onion, chopped

1 celery root, chopped

2 unpeeled organic carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 tbsp chopped parsley

3 tbsp chopped celery leaves

2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1 shallot, peeled and chopped

2 cloves

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp ground pepper

1 pound fresh tomatoes, rough chopped

15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1 cup red wine vinegar

3 cups V8 juice

1 bunch fresh basil - leaves and stems seperated

3 cloves garlic

salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Rough chop veggies and combine with ginger, garlic, pepper, parsley, coriander, cloves and basil stems in a large pot with 1/4 cup of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium low heat, stirring every few minutes for about half an hour until softened.

Add fresh, canned and juiced tomatoes and bring to a boil.

This was Lillie's favorite part - seeing the fresh tomatoes enter the pot and making that flavor connection.

Reduce heat to medium low again and simmer gently until the sauce reduces by half. Stir every few minutes.

Add the basil leaves and then puree sauce in a top-load blender or with a immersion blender.

Push through a sieve into a clean pan and add vinegar and sugar.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer again until the consistency is similar to bottled tomato ketchup. Stir often with a silicon spatula along the bottom surface to keep from clumping and burning. Season to taste - I added another tsp or two of salt and a little more sugar. A splash of vinegar to boost the acidity might have been added too...

Let the ketchup cool and then use your funnel to transfer to clean jars and bottles. Store in your fridge for up to 4 months.

Once chilled, apply liberally to french fries, corn dogs, hot dogs, tater tots, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, onion rings, scrambled eggs...

Percy Wants a Peanut Sauce

swedish chef loves percy's p-nut sauce. bork bork!

This versatile sauce works its way into many of our favorite fun dishes. Toss with chilled buckwheat noodles and add to a ginger salad with some grilled Harryaki chicken. Use as a dipping sauce for Boston lettuce wraps, Vietnamese summer rolls, or baked Harryaki wings. Recipes forthcoming...

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter

1/4 cup of hot water

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Juice from 1/2 a lime

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp ketchup (trust me)

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp onion powder

Blend hot water and peanut butter. Whisk in remaining ingredients until creamy and smooth.

Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar

This robust vinegar can be used just about anywhere - use it on grilled fish or mix with herbs, minced shallot and some olive oil for a fresh vinaigrette.

2 cups aged balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

Bring vinegar and berries to a boil, reduce to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool. Strain into small bowl, using the back of a serving spoon to push all the berry goodness and vinegar out of the fruit pulp. The vinegar should reduce a little, giving it more of a syrupy consistency.

Cover and chill until ready to use. Put it on everything. Will keep for at least a month in the fridge.

White Mayonnaise

Lunchtime during the week must include at least one visit to the best sub shop this side of the Mississippi - Jersey Mike's. I mean, come on, they slice the meat right in front of you as your order your sandwich! Does it get any better than that?! Its true, their delectable "fresh" subs are amazing but the same can not be said about their sanitary-gloved employees. During the latest visit, our attentive "sandwich artist" asked Drew if he wanted some "white mayonnaise" on his giant bacon and pepperoni sandwich. It caught us off guard.

White mayonnaise, you say? What other colors of mayonnaise do you have behind that counter? Yellow mustard maybe. Red ketchup? Now you are pushing it. White mayonnaise? You're just talking crazy talk.

The truth is, like most people, I love mayonnaise.

Maybe not as much as this guy...



or these guys...


...but its fair to say its a very important part of my life. Although we generally reach for the Hellman's Canola Mayo for sandwiches and salads (potato, chicken, k-rab), occasionally there is a need for something a little fresher. The truth is that mayonnaise is relatively easy to make - its simply a cold emulsion of vegetable oil, egg yolks and your choice of an acid. Once you have a mayonnaise base you can literally flavor it with any ingredient - from chipotle to garlic and fresh herbs. Remind me to have a mayo contest - that would be fun.


Here is a simple mayonnaise base to get you started:


White Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice

pinch of Kosher Salt (to taste)

1/3 cup of olive or avocado oil

2 egg yolks


Add the Dijon mustard to the egg yolks and beat with a whisk until slightly thickened, then slowly drizzle the oil into the egg mix. If it gets too thick, add a little vinegar or lemon juice to thin out the mix. Once all the oil is added, whisk in the remaining acid. The consistency should be that of, well, mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in the fridge up to one week.


Spice up your mayo! Use your imagination, for crying out loud...

Yellow Mayonnaise (Lemon)
increase lemon juice to 2 tbsp and add 1 teaspoon freshly microplaned lemon peel

Green Mayonnaise (Garlic and Herb)
1/4 cup chopped fresh soft herbs (parsley, basil, tarragon, etc.) and three cloves of roasted garlic

Orange Mayonnaise (Chipotle)
1 finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo, 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Brown Mayonnaise (Ginger-Sesame)
add one finely chopped scallion, 1 tsp minced fresh ginger, 1/4 tsp toasted sesame or peanut oil and a splash of low sodium soy sauce