ketchup

A few weekends ago, my kitchen turned into a tomato-processing MACHINE. With an absurd amount of tomatoes, plenty of beer, pie and ice cream, we managed to crank out more than 30 pints of salsa. Even so, I woke up the next morning to a beautiful box of paste tomatoes waiting patiently for their turn. Now, I'm a big fan of salsa and all, but the thought of making any more was pretty unbearable. Enter: the king of condiments, ketchup.
When I was a kid, I wouldn't think twice about sucking that nasty red paste right out of the bottle. Perhaps I overdid it in my youth, though, because my (slightly) more refined adult palette has never been a fan of the grocery store variety. Lucky me, this stuff is NOT grocery store ketchup. It's spicy and tangy and has a much more pleasant (and believable) consistency. No corn syrup here! Some of you might even be tempted to bring a jar with you to your favorite bar (aghhhmeganaghm).

From: http://www.canningacrossamerica.com/recipes/regular-ol-tomato-ketchup-but-better/

1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
5 whole cloves
5 cardamom pods, crushed
1 star anise
10 black peppercorns
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, like canola or sunflower
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/3 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: Using a piece of cheesecloth (or an empty tea bag), tie the cinnamon, bay, cloves, cardamom, anise, and peppercorns into a bundle. Set aside.

Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a food processor or blender. Puree until totally smooth, and set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the remainder, add the onion and puree.

In a large nonreactive Dutch oven (bigger than you think, as this will splatter like a Pollock painting), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion puree and the 2 teaspoons of salt and stir well. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, letting the puree reduce and lightly brown. Add the tomato, sugar, and vinegar, turn the heat to a low simmer, and reduce for about 15 minutes, uncovered, with an occasional stir. Add the spice bundle and reduce for 10 minutes more. When it’s done reducing, it should be a little thinner than commercial ketchup. Stir in the paprika, taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed.

Let the ketchup cool and remove the spice bundle. Pour into a jar and chill overnight, or for at least 6 hours.

How to Store It Refrigerated: homemade ketchup will keep at least 2 months.

How to Can It: Ladle into sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and process in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 feet, 20 minutes at altitudes up to 6,000 feet, and 25 minutes at altitudes over 6,000 feet