Credit: Stephen Jackson
(makes 1 litre)
Ingredients:
1kg very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
250g tomato purée
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
250g tinned pears
200g pure cane preserving sugar
50g sea salt
200ml white wine vinegar
For the spices:
6 black peppercorns
2 allspice berries
1 star anise
1 tsp chili flakes
Additional:
A suitable jar / jars or bottles for storage
A small infuser / bag or muslin sheet for the spices.
Notes:
This recipe will make use of almost any colour of tomatoes you have left around. However, green tomatoes should be kept for other recipes – their tartness lends itself to pickles and jams, and it’s nice to appreciate the colour as a stand-alone product.
Method:
Place all the ingredients, excluding the spices, in a large saucepan. Lightly crush the peppercorns and allspice and add, along with the remaining spices, to your infuser or muslin bag, securing it tightly. Add to the tomato mixture and bring gently to a rolling boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and let it bubble away for a couple of hours. As you wait for the mixture to cook, sterilise your jars, bottles and lids. We suggest using hot tap water to get the glass warm, and then boiling water to sterilise. When the mixture is cooked through thoroughly, fish out the muslin bag, and whizz the tomato mixture in a blender until completely smooth. It barely needs mentioning, but please be very careful when blending the hot tomatoes. Carefully decant the ketchup into the jars and bottles, seal with the lids, and allow to cool before refrigerating. Your ketchup should last at least a month. We pretty much guarantee it won’t last that long!
