So, according to this source, store bought ketchup has more sugar in it than ice cream. Which is probably why my kid loves it so much. I can't say I've ever even looked at the ingredients list on ketchup; it's probably one of those things you just don't want to know. But this recipe for making your own ketchup in the slow cooker just looked so easy I had to try it. You'll see near the end I added a couple of steps which make it bit more complicated but I think makes it more kid-friendly at the same time.
So, last night I threw these ingredients in the slow cooker and let it simmer all night on low.
INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 lbs. tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. white wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. paprika
This is what we woke up to ...
Then I gave it a long whirl in the blender. I wanted to make this as Spud-friendly as possible so I added two more steps next. First I strained the blended mixture through a course strainer to get rid of seeds and bits of skin. I didn't want to use our finest strainer because I was afraid it would make it too runny with not enough ketchup-like texture.
Finally, I simmered it on the stove, without a lid, to thicken it up a bit more, for about 30 minutes.
I left out enough to last us a couple of weeks and put the rest in the freezer.
I'm very happy with the result. The true test will be tonight when we have hot dogs for dinner.
