Gaby
Stocking up on tomatoes in any form is a smart move, since they’re packed with beneficial nutrients: carotenoids, B vitamins, various organic acids and fatty acids, plus potassium, magnesium, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, chlorine, sulfur, phosphorus, and sodium. Tomatoes offer antioxidant, cancer-fighting, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and neuroprotective benefits.
Ingredients: ripe tomatoes – 5 kg, onions – 1 kg, sugar – 250 g, 9% vinegar – 50 ml, salt – 2 tablespoons, paprika – 1 teaspoon, ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon, ground cloves – 1 teaspoon, ground cinnamon – 1 teaspoon.
Chop the tomatoes into large pieces and remove the cores. Place them in a pot and simmer over low heat. If they don’t release enough juice within about 15 minutes, add a little water, stir the mixture, and continue cooking over medium heat for another 45 minutes. One hour won’t be enough to make ketchup; it’s just the beginning of the process.
Add the chopped onions, bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 2 more hours. Throughout the cooking process, the mixture should be gently bubbling.
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the sugar, salt, and spices. Blend the vegetable mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the tomato seeds.
Put the pot back on the heat. Bring it to a boil and cook for another 2 hours—this allows the sauce to thicken naturally through evaporation without any thickeners. At the end of cooking, add the vinegar, stir the sauce, and remove the pot from the heat after 5 minutes. Pour the finished tomato sauce into sterilized jars, seal them, let the jars cool completely, and store the jars in a cool place.
Life Hacks
- Include vinegar in the recipe for winter preservation. If you plan to eat the sauce soon or won’t store it long-term, skip the vinegar.
- Mix tomatoes with apples, plums, or peppers to vary the flavor of the ketchup.
