Ketchup: In Praise of "The New Joy of Cooking"

Like many, I was quick to dislike "The New Joy of Cooking" as inferior to the original, a transparent attempt to cash in on a beloved classic. But lately I have found myself using the book much like I did the original - when I had a new ingredient in my possession and was unsure what to do with it. Back in olden times, everything was a new ingredient, so my J.O.C. was heavily used. These days, I have been turning to the New J.O.C. for new ideas for familiar ingredients.

So my tomatoes all decided to ripen at the same time. Here is yesterday's harvest (about 5 lbs.):



So I separated the skins and seeds from the pulp and juice:



And made ketchup based on a New J.O.C. recipe. Served it with Wagyu burgers and frites:



Let me tell you, this ketchup is nothing like Heinz or Hunts. It is piquant but not cloyingly sweet. There are multiple layers of flavor with the taste of fresh tomatoes in the foreground. Everyone liked it and that surprised me because I was sure one family member was going to prefer the commercial stuff.
Bill/SFNM

HI,

Another aspect of homemade ketchup to commercial is the absence of a burnt taste. I recall reading where a ketchup manufacturer went to great pains to avoid a burnt taste. The ketchup was roundly rejected by the public because it had a funny taste or missing something. It was simply missing the burnt taste we have come to expect.

I only recently got the new Joy of Cooking at a rummage sale, so I will look at it with your perspective in mind. I learned over the weekend there is a new edition in the works, which will be more traditionally aligned. Generally the new one of the past few years was not very well accepted.

Regards,

I must add that the old JOC also has the ketchup recipe (actually they spell it "catsup"), but the new one is a bit easier to follow, IMO.

Bill/SFNM

Bill,

Your burger and frites dressed in the homemade ketchup look frighteningly good.

An excellent idea for not wasting any of a large harvest in a short time... (I can only hope this year's anti-squirrel measures will allow me some measure of bounty, though my expectations are appropriately restrained)...

Anyway, one question: How stable will your homemade ketchup be in storage? (Or perhaps it's so tasty that that won't be much of an issue...)

Antonius

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal said that the upcoming edition of the Joy of Cooking has tossed out "Yuppie chow" and returned to a more Rombauer-esque vision.

Here's a link, but you must be a subscriber to read beyond the beginning.

Antonius wrote:
Anyway, one question: How stable will your homemade ketchup be in storage? (Or perhaps it's so tasty that that won't be much of an issue...)

Thank you, Antonius.

According to New J.O.C., the sauce can be hot-packed into jars for long-term storage or placed in the fridge for 1 month. The 5 pounds of tomatoes made a little over 1 quart which at current rates of consumption will last for 4.87 days.

Good luck in your battle against the rodents.

Bill/SFNM

Bill,

That catsup looks fantastic and helps support the position that there is really no reason why catsup should not be good: fresh tomatoes, thoughtful seasoning, what's not to like?

Thanks for the pix -- they are inspirational (I bang through probably 150 pounds of tomatoes every summer, mostly for sauce and chili, so perhaps it's time to give catsup a shot).

Hammond

But is it really ketchup if it tastes too much like tomatoes?

I only made ketchup once, and that was when somebody in a similar situation as yourself, decided to pawn off a ton of tomatoes onto me. I used a recipe taken from a favorite pub of mine in Brookline, MA - Matt Murphy's:

8 onions, diced
1 head celery, diced
5-6 garlic cloves, smashed
4 cups anis, toasted & ground
2 cups coriander, toasted & ground
2 cups cumin, toasted & ground
3 cups allspice, toasted & ground
4 cinnamon sticks
4 cans of 74/40 tomatoes -- can't remember what qty of fresh tomatoes i subsituted here, but I'm sure there's a conversion out there
2/3 can of tomato paste -- i actually did use this, as i was excited to use more than a tablespoon of this stuff for once in my life
4 cups malt vinegar
S & P

Sweat vegetables, then add the rest and cook slowly for 45-60 mins. Remove cinnamon sticks & puree.

I found an explanation:

74-40 tomatoes has 74 parts tomatoes and 40 parts tomatoes sauce in case you can't get that brand

Here is a tomato ketchup recipe I have used, the ingredient list:

Tomato Ketchup
24 lbs ripe tomatoes
3 cups chopped onions
3/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
3 cups cider vinegar (5 percent)
4 tsp whole cloves
3 sticks cinnamon, crushed
1-1/2 tsp whole allspice
3 tbsp celery seeds
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup salt
Yield: 6 to 7 pints

What did your ketchup taste like? What was the yield? I really can't get over the spice quantities used:

4 cups anis, toasted & ground
2 cups coriander, toasted & ground
2 cups cumin, toasted & ground
3 cups allspice, toasted & ground

Regards,

tatterdemalion wrote:I only made ketchup once, and that was when somebody in a similar situation as yourself, decided to pawn off a ton of tomatoes onto me. I used a recipe taken from a favorite pub of mine in Brookline, MA - Matt Murphy's...:

T.,

Were you happy with the results? How did it compare with the pub's product?

A

Cathy, I believe the catsup I made probably more closely resembled your recipe than the one I used. With regard to the spicing, I must confess that I didn't adhere to protocol, and instead only toasted & ground the cumin. For the other spices I eyeballed much smaller quantities, probably in the order of magnitude of your recipe -- units of teaspoons & tablespoons. Lots of salt was required, and I also used cayenne.

In the end, to answer your & Antonius' question, it was more of a chutney than a ketchup, with a very nice smokey taste that went well with the batch of seikh kebabs I had at the time (not that that would be my ideal condiment, but that's another story). I was happy with the results, it was better than the pub's version IMO, but on the other hand, I was craving the pub's food to enjoy with the ketchup, which I sadly did not have.

Antonius, this being my first time posting on the Cooking board (just a beginner in the kitchen), I should also mention that your Bolognese thread opened up a whole new dimension for me -- the thread itself was fascinating, however, the bolognese I made from the knowledge I gained was pretty darn mindblowing if I may say so myself.

Am I the only one who felt a twinge of pain?

As a person without a garden who pays absurd prices for tomatoes at the farmer's markets, I have to say I kinda winced at the the sight of such glorious red orbs getting turned into...ketchup.

Nothing against ketchup, or your no-doubt masterful skill at turning those delicious beauties into it, but for those of us who dream of sprinkling them with a pinch of salt and eating them like apples, or making a threesome with slices of mozzarella, well, it just hurts a little bit.

It's jealousy, really. And, yeah, I remember the bounty of tomatoes in my grandmother's garden going bad, and the problem of 'getting rid' of all those tomatoes, and getting tired of tomato sandwiches by the end of the summer. The curse of riches. It's been a long time, but thanks for reminding me.

crrush wrote:
As a person without a garden who pays absurd prices for tomatoes at the farmer's markets, I have to say I kinda winced at the the sight of such glorious red orbs getting turned into...ketchup.

Okay crrush, I can see that you and are a going to go round and round today.

I do buy my tomatoes at Farmer's Markets, but for sauce you can always get a deal on the banged up ones (like half price -- and they usually throw in some extra because they're harder to sell).

Would you wince if the tomatoes were turned into salsa or tomato sauce?

See, now you've got me going.

Hammond

HI,

I buy canning tomatoes from farmers. My best deal closed: 10-20 pounds for $2. These were great to eat as-is but they were not going to linger very long.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:What did your ketchup taste like? What was the yield? I really can't get over the spice quantities used:

I, too, am confused by the amt of spices used. 4 cups of anis/fennel seeds ?!?

Just how big are these cans of tomatoes ?? 2, 3 gallons each ??

Ah, you again, Hammond.

Yes, anything short of eating those curvaceous, juicy, home-grown tomatoes naked (you and the tomato) in your kitchen, with juice running down your chin, is blasphemy. Pure and simple.

Banged-up, store-bought tomatoes, on the other hand, were meant for such sauces, salsas and other condiments. Smash them at will.

Surely, my posts are not so earnest in tone as to make you think I'm insulting anyone who makes fresh ketchup, or truly offended or repulsed by the execution of said tomatoes. Only waxing nostalgic--and apparently giving wings to a desperate craving for good tomatoes.

Well, I think the traditional 74-40 can is 10 pounds. Cathy's recipe called for 24 pounds of fresh tomatoes.

That's a whole mess of ketchup.

Oh, and I'm on Hammond's side, even as someone who doesn't particularly love ketchup.

crrush wrote:Ah, you again, Hammond.

Yes, anything short of eating those curvaceous, juicy, home-grown tomatoes naked (you and the tomato) in your kitchen, with juice running down your chin, is blasphemy. Pure and simple.

Banged-up, store-bought tomatoes, on the other hand, were meant for such sauces, salsas and other condiments. Smash them at will.

Surely, my posts are not so earnest in tone as to make you think I'm insulting anyone who makes fresh ketchup, or truly offended or repulsed by the execution of said tomatoes. Only waxing nostalgic--and apparently giving wings to a desperate craving for good tomatoes.

I had to quote this whole passage before your superego convinced you to go back in and delete out the food porn passage that evidently bubbled up from your id.

I have a long history as a defender of catsup...and now, I'm letting it go (momentarily).

With all this heat, I am expecting to see tomatoes very much sooner than usual...and I'm encouraged by this whole conversation that some may even come my way this weekend.

Hammond

crrush wrote:Am I the only one who felt a twinge of pain?
As a person without a garden who pays absurd prices for tomatoes at the farmer's markets, I have to say I kinda winced at the the sight of such glorious red orbs getting turned into...ketchup.

Several of these tomatoes did indeed end up with a little salt and pepper and olive oil on pieces of fresh-baked bread. These that I used for ketchup needed to be used quickly for something since I have a whole bunch more turning ripe. I would also say that these earliest tomatoes (most were Maremmanos) weren't as deeply flavorful as I would have liked for eating out of hand.

The San Marzanos should be ripening this week and are allocated for pizza Margherita - the very highest calling for a plum tomato - on Friday.

Bill/SFNM

Hammond: Sweet Jesus. Food porn, okay, but I wasn't exactly trying to envision YOU in YOUR kitchen naked with a tomato in hand. Take it easy there, pal. The tomatoes aren't the only thing turning red right now. Now, go back to crying about Maxwell Street.

tatterdemalion wrote:Antonius, this being my first time posting on the Cooking board (just a beginner in the kitchen), I should also mention that your Bolognese thread opened up a whole new dimension for me -- the thread itself was fascinating, however, the bolognese I made from the knowledge I gained was pretty darn mindblowing if I may say so myself.

Many thanks! That makes my day!

A

P.S. I hope to post on another Italian slow-cooked beef dish soon.

Just a note that green tomatoes make a very good ketchup, too, if you wind up with a boatload of them and frost is threatening.

My favorite way of using up surplus ripe tomatoes is drying, which intensifies the flavor and doesn't heat up the kitchen the way canning and ketchup making does. Then, you can use the dried tomatoes for sauces or ketchup come autumn.

In reading this post, I can't help but remember when Chicagoland had no farmers markets but did have many farm stands and I bought a bushel of tomatoes and started cooking. One of the things I made was ketchup from a recipe long since lost in various downsizing. When served to my family including VI I got a phooey reaction, nobody liked it. I wonder what VI would say if I did this today?
Paulette

paulette wrote:... One of the things I made was ketchup from a recipe long since lost in various downsizing. When served to my family including VI I got a phooey reaction, nobody liked it. I wonder what VI would say if I did this today?
Paulette

Interesting... Any recollection of whether the negative reaction was along the lines mentioned by Cathy2 above; it sure seems like it might have been:

Cathy2 wrote:HI,
Another aspect of homemade ketchup to commercial is the absence of a burnt taste. I recall reading where a ketchup manufacturer went to great pains to avoid a burnt taste. The ketchup was roundly rejected by the public because it had a funny taste or missing something. It was simply missing the burnt taste we have come to expect.

Antonius

In the current issue of Cooks Illustrated, there is an article rating various brands of store bought ketchup. They talk about what makes for a good ketchup and then give the results of their tests (they chose Hunts as their favorite over Heinz). Here is a link to the article, but you ned to be a subscriber to read it. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=398

Looky, looky! See what I got to before the squirrels did? Still warm from the sun....

But what should I *do* with them? Slice, apply mozzarella and a basil leaf? Ketchup-i-fy them? Vinegarette?






What would YOU do?

Waiting for suggestions...

Geo

There are many things you could do with such fine tomatoes...such as:

1) Give them to me.

Caro Geo,

I would certainly save one for pa amb tomàquet:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=9512#9512

... and, drawing on my Ausonian background, I would with the rest make a maximally simple condiment for pasta, either lightly cooked or not cooked at all. Olive oil, a little garlic, tomato cut into small chunks, basil, salt, pepper. Especially if these are the first batch of ripe ones and they're really flavourful, I wouldn't add anything else, though there are a number of swell variations on the theme, zum Beispiel, with cubes of mozzarella, with olives and capers, with some anchovy (invented by Shakespeare und sehr lecker!) with a cerasiello, und so weiter und so fort...



Antonius

Antonius, we started out on your way. Simply wonderful! And I think "simply" is the operative word here: a decent bread (I ran out to the market and got a loaf of our local batard; not great, but there are lots of folks in this country who'd kill for it), some garlic fresh in from Iowa (one of my grape-growing friends in Davenport grows fantastic garlic, this year's shipment of which arrived *this afternoon*!! Talk about the gods smiling...), decent (= da vinci ev) olive oil.

It's really rather amazing how the crusty bread surface will grind off the garlic and tomato! Then the juice sinks in, the salt and oil go on, and we began to eat.

Lovely! Tnx so much for suggesting that mode Antonius. Excelent.

Now we're goiing to sit down to some defrosted King Crab with tomatoes vinegarette + slices of parmesan and crusty bread. Ahhhhh, Summer.

Geo