Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Ketchup!

So I finally took the plunge and made SCD ketchup. And dayum, it's pretty good!

I decided I would recycle a jar! So I took an empty almond butter jar and scrubbed and scrubbed to get that really sticky label off it it. Finally it was all shiny and clean. Hooray.

I then took a small saucepan and added the ingredients of doom. Ketchup is red, like lava, and dangerous as all tomato products are when heated.

Here's the recipe I used:

SCD KETCHUP

3 cups tomato juice
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp honey

Mix the tomato juice, salt, and vinegar. Simmer until thickened. Add the honey and complete the cooking. Pour into a jar and refrigerate.


Now here's the part where I give you tips, because ketchup is evil. It's evil because you can't really simmer it unless you enjoy getting burned. You can't really leave the lid on, either, because you need it to reduce, and it will do that faster with the lid off.

So I started it off with medium heat. I then stirred continuously. It should be bubbling while you're stirring it.

If it's at a good temperature, you can stir it and it can bubble and it will only spit at you if you do something like slow down, get distracted, or try to take a bathroom break. So go to the bathroom before you start!

Switch hands every so often if you get tired. If you slow down too much, your sauce will spatter onto your hands, which is about like being snapped with a rubber band. This is a sign that you should hop to and pay attention.

It will seem like it is never getting thicker, and then in 20 minutes, it will start to look vaguely ketchup-like. At this point, it will be thicker, and so you will probably have to turn the heat down a little more. You'll be able to tell because your rhythm with the stirring won't be working anymore, and you'll get splattered with hot tomato justice.

Turn it down and keep stirring for another 15 minutes or so. You're done when you say so, because you're the cook, and YOU make the rules. Seize your power. Feel your anger. It is your destiny...wait, that's the Emperor.



This is the result. It's a bit thinner than regular ketchup, but it is surprisingly tasty on scrambled eggs. And hamburgers. And chicken. It is made of yum. And tomatoes.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

XD Hilarious, S. I love it...wait, what does SCD stand for? Did i miss it?

Unknown said...

Hi! SCD stands for Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I have links explaining more in my sidebar, the ones titled Breaking the Vicious Cycle and Pecanbread. :)

Thanks for visiting!

Susan :)

Matt Sullivan said...

I know I'm a few months late on this, but I've found splatter screens (really just a big mesh cover) works wonder when making reductions like this. It lets it reduce, while keeping splatters to a minimum. I picked up a set of 2 (one large, one medium) at Wal-Mart for $8.99

LotusDaySpa said...

We started the SCD in February for my (now 3 year old) autistic son. Your ketchup recipe has helped him enjoy many of the same things other kids get to eat like burgers and chicken nuggets...
We all eat this way. Your blog is VERY valuable to a family like mine. With a little tear and a big virtual hug, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

LotusDaySpa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi Kim!

First of all, I'm so glad you're enjoying my blog!

This is one of those posts that needs to be lost to the sands of time, though, because I don't make ketchup this way anymore. :)

I just put the juice in a big pan, let it simmer on medium, and stick a spatter screen on top of it. Works like a charm and I can ignore it.

I'm hoping to redo my recipe archive at some point soon. :)

Susan

Unknown said...

Great! Ketchup! I tried this recipe (I love how it's scalable to bigger batches), and it's not bad. Not quite what I'm used to (the sugary store bought junk), but none the less, not bad at all.

I have seen a few recipes on the net that call for sugar as an ingredient..can honey be substituted 1:1 for sugar?

(this one looks neato; http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/condiments/02/rec0207.html: or this one; http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2006/1589802640_1.html)

Those other two aren't as clear and straightforward as yours though as they don't use cups/liters/pints for the tomatoes, they're using an amount (funny, as every tomatoe is a different size :P).

Unknown said...

Hi!

I would not use honey 1:1 as a substitute. I'd use much less honey to start. For one, honey has a strong flavor that you might find objectionabl, and two, honey tends to taste sweeter.

Glad you're enjoying my blog!

Susan :)

Unknown said...

Cool! Thanks for the tips :)

I made your ketchup, and it's closer to what I'm used to than this one:

http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2006/1589802640_1.html

That being said, the linked one tastes like bbq sauce (I omitted the tobasco, red pepper, cloves, and splenda; didn't have them on hand, or not SCD friendly).

Anonymous said...

How Long does this ketchup stay good in the fridge? I tried it and it's amazing!

Unknown said...

The ketchup lasts at least two weeks. Try to only dip CLEAN utensils into it. But since tomatoes are very acidic, they don't harbor bacteria easily.

Enjoy! :)

Britton said...

Hi I am a new loyal follower! My bf has crohn's and we are hoping for the best starting up this diet for him, and I am trying to get all my recipes laid out! Which ketchup would you suggest? This one with the honey and salt or the other one with just tomato juice and vinegar?

Unknown said...

Hi Britton!

If you want to be really safe and careful, just reduce the tomato juice down and use it as is with nothing added. That's what I've been doing lately because I'm lazy!

Susan :)

Britton said...

Haha sound good to me! I have decided to join him with the SCD. I think it will be easier to give up my unhealthy lifestyle than cook two separate meals every time we eat. Besides I'm hoping it helps with my everyday headaches. Another quick question, we are starting the intro diet on Sunday, I was wondering if we are allowed to eat the homemade ketchup with the broiled beef patties, or season them with any of the legal spices?

Unknown said...

Hi Britton,

The intro diet only allows salt, not other spices, and not ketchup (it is a food that needs to be tried). For a lot of people, tomatoes are a problem, so you might not want to start with that right away. Or maybe you do want to know right away! LOL!

At any rate, keep in mind the intro diet is only for a couple of days. Most people do not do it for more than 3 days. Five days is the maximum.

Feel free to e-mail me at my gmail account with more questions! Good luck and I am proud of you! :)

Sheena said...

Hi Susan!

This recipe looks great and even better, simple! I am going to try it soon and wondered if you thought it could be made in a crock pot (I am lazy)?

Thank you for the valuable info on your site!
Sheena

Unknown said...

Hi Sheena!

Actually a crock pot won't work, because you can't reduce liquids very well in a crock pot. Crock pots tend to keep liquid inside them, and if you take off the lid, the liquid inside won't simmer. Which is good, because if it did, you'd probably have a big mess!

See the rest of the comments on this recipe. These days, I just reduce the juice in a big pan with a spatter screen on top. Then I can ignore it!

Susan :)

Sheena said...

O darn, I was really hoping to use the crock! But the prospect of ketchup is well worth the effort, I will get a splatter screen. Thanks Susan!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I loved your recipe for ketchup, it was hilarious! You write wonderfully. I am going to try making it with a splatter screen and see how I go.
Thanks for sharing your SCD recipes.

Unknown said...

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Please let us know how it goes! :)

Anonymous said...

Where can I find legal tomato juice? Is there a brand for SCD?

Unknown said...

Campbell's tomato juice is the only kind I know is legal!

Laura said...

Thank you for this recipe. I am now making it for the second time. Some tips to pass along to others: The Campbell's tomato juice in an enormous can is about half the price of the kind in the plastic bottles. Also, I use my large fine-mesh strainer as a spatter shield. This ketchup makes a fantastic cocktail sauce with the addition of a little horseradish.