Ketchup Konfusion begone! Make your own

Tomatoes and Herbs from my backyard Canadian garden

If the latest news from ketchup manufacturers has you confused about who uses Canadian grown tomatoes to create their ketchup and who bottles their ketchup in Canada, set all the nonsense aside and try making your own. It's embarrassingly simple to manufacture yourself. And if you use Canadian grown tomatoes and concoct your batch on Canadian soil you can proudly boast that it is created and bottled in Canada. Even better, try growing your own....tomatoes that is!

Charmingly Simple Canadian Ketchup

1 can (28 oz) crushed Canadian Grown tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp tomatoe paste

2/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup cider vinegar

 ½ tsp sea salt

Place tomatoes in a tall plastic tub or high-sided bowl. With a hand held blender, puree tomatoes until smooth. In a heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened about eight minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, tomatoe paste, brown sugar, vinegar and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally until very thick, about one hour. (Stir more frequently toward end of cooking so the mixture doesn’t burn.) Puree mixture until smooth and allow to cool.  Store in tightly sealed jars in the fridge.

Classy Cannuck-style Ketchup

About 400g Plum (Roma) Canadian Grown tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and juice removed

¼ large green pepper

1 onion sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dry mustard

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Pre heat oven to 475F Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and place tomatoes, skin side up, green pepper and onion. Brush very lightly with a little olive oil. Roast in oven about 15 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool slightly. In a food processor, pulse tomatoes, pepper and onion until just chunky. Place chunky vegetables in a bowl. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar, parsley, mustard, thyme, salt pepper, garlic powder and cinnamon. Let cool and store in tightly sealed jars in the fridge.

Hot Hot Hot Justin Trudeau Ketchup

Use 1/2 cup of any of the Ketchup recipes above or store-bought ketchup made from Canadian grown tomatoes and produced in Canada.

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 dried Habanero chile

1 tbsp light (fancy) molasses

½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce

¼ tsp whole cloves

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine ketchup, orange juice, habanero, molasses, Worcestershire sauce and cloves. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about five minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and discard habanero chile and cloves. Let cool and store in tightly sealed jars.

Guess Who, No-Sugar Tonight Ketchup

3 cups tomatoe juice

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ sugar substitute

1 ½ tsp dried green pepper flakes

½ tsp onion flakes

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

1/8 tsp dried rosemary

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp dried parsley

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine tomatoe juice, vinegar, sugar substitute, green pepper flakes, onion flakes, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened. About 1 hour. Let cool and store in tightly sealed jars in the fridge.