Ketchup is the thing you never knew you missed until it's back

I'm back! It's been...awhile. Update on the last blog post (IN JUNE!): I did make my final destination in Montana. Glacier Nat'l Park was amazing, the wedding was beautiful, the train ride back was really long, and I'm heading out west again this summer! Yellowstone and Jackson, WY this time. Can't wait! Will not be by train, but by car, so hello, random roadside attractions! I will be stopping at ALL of you.

I've been experimenting with 'Intimidation Cooking' by which I mean making something that I really want, really miss, and have always been a little scared to tackle. The first thing I tackled was vegan macaroni and cheese. It looked like macaroni and cheese, but it tasted...terrible. So on the second day, I added bacon. I  made a full recipe, and I didn't want to waste it, but I didn't really want to eat it. The bacon (as it always does) made it much more manageable. Won't make it again, but nothing went to waste.

Next was ketchup. You know, that condiment that you put on everything. You know what's boring? French fries with nothing on them. The first batch was delicious and tasted like what I remember Heinz ketchup tasting like. It's really, really easy to make, and I went through it pretty quickly. Today I made a double batch (it freezes really well) and can't wait to taste it. I do suggest that the bit that you don't freeze, you let 'stew' in the refrigerator for at least a day so that all the flavors meld together even more. Enjoy on burgers, fries, eggs if you can have them, and everything else you used to eat ketchup with. Original recipe found on the Comfortable Comfort Food blog.

Low FOD-Map Ketchup

Ingredients:

• 1 quart tomatoes (canned, fresh, frozen, or juiced)*
• 1 T tomato paste
• 2 T sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 3 T apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste

Directions:

• Simmer the tomatoes and the tomato paste together in a deep pan or kettle until soft. Cool slightly, then run through a food mill**
• Return to pot. Add sugar, cloves, and mustard
• Boil all of this together for about 30 minutes at a fast (bubbling) simmer, uncovered. Stir occasionally. You want it thick and reduced by about a third.
• Add vinegar and simmer another 5 minutes or so. Salt to taste.

*The first time I made this, I used canned diced tomatoes and put them and the paste through my food processor after step one. The ketchup was not smooth, but really good. The second time I made this I used canned tomato puree and it came out smooth.

**I plan on getting a food mill so that this summer, when I have access to awesome fresh tomatoes straight from the garden, I have super fresh and amazing ketchup.

I had a bit of a mess on my hands

Also, you could probably can this if you want, but I freeze the jars. My mom gave me a bunch of jars to use for canning purposes a couple of Christmases ago, but I don't have a ton of pantry storage space and most of my jars end up getting used for storing my vodka infusions instead. ;)

I used part of the original batch to make Maple Bourbon BBQ sauce. I used the BBQ sauce to make baby back ribs in the oven, and I ate them like a caveman complete with sauce all over my face. Totally worth it. So good. That also freezes really well, so you can make a batch every time you make ketchup and then always have ketchup and bbq sauce on hand. Summer 2017 grilling just got even better.

I'm hosting a Mardi Gras Game Night in a couple of weeks and can't wait to try out Bourbon Chicken and a gluten free, vegan King Cake. Stay tuned...