Homemade ketchup for the winter: The 2 most successful ways to prepare

In Ukraine, it's the season of healthy berries, fruits, and vegetables, which should be eaten as much as possible in any form - fresh, baked, made into salads, and preserved for the winter. One of these products is tomatoes, which contain a lot of vitamins and nutrients that are so necessary for the body, and it is important that they can also be used to cook many natural dishes, make delicious dressings for borscht, lecho, adjika, and salads.

Today, FoodOboz editorial team will share 2 of the most successful recipes for homemade ketchup, which will be a great sauce for kebabs.

1. Ketchup with plum

Ingredients:

• tomatoes - 2 kg
• ripe plums - 1 kg
• onion - 250 g
• garlic - 100 g
• hot pepper - 1 pc.
• parsley - 30 g
• sugar - 200 g
• salt - 1/2 tbsp
• bay leaf - 2 pcs.
• vinegar - 2 tbsp. 

Method of preparation:

1. Wash the tomatoes, scald with boiling water, and peel off the skin.
2. Wash the plums and be sure to remove the seeds.
3. Cut the onion into large pieces.
4. Pass all the ingredients through a meat grinder.
5. Pour the mashed potatoes into a saucepan, and cook over low heat for 2 hours, be sure to stir.
6. Pass the garlic, pepper, and parsley through a meat grinder, add the mixture along with sugar, salt, vinegar, a mixture of peppers, and bay leaf to the saucepan, mix thoroughly, and cook until thickened for about 40-50 minutes.
7. Be sure to remove the bay leaf after cooking.
8. Pour the hot ketchup into sterile jars and preserve it immediately, turn it upside down, wrap it in a warm towel or blanket, and let it cool completely.
9. After that, move the jars to a dark, cool place.

2. Ketchup with bell pepper

Ingredients:

• ripe tomatoes - 3 kg
• bell pepper - 600 g
• onion - 500 g
• garlic - 5 cloves.

• vinegar - 100 ml
• sugar - 150 g
• salt - 1 tbsp
• ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp.
• cloves - 4 pcs.
• nutmeg - 1/2 tsp.
• allspice - 3 pcs.
• black peppercorns - 10-12 pcs.

Method of preparation:

1. Wash all the vegetables, cut the tomatoes into slices.
2. Be sure to remove the seeds from the pepper, and cut it into large pieces.
3. Peel the onions and garlic, and chop them randomly.
4. Put all the vegetables in a saucepan, add salt, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 2-3 hours.
5. Remove the prepared vegetable mixture from the heat and whisk with a blender until smooth.
6. Grind the pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and add to the saucepan.
7. At the very end, add sugar and ketchup, stir, and cook over medium heat for another 30 minutes.
8. Pour the hot ketchup into sterile jars and preserve them, turn them upside down and cover with a warm cloth. Once completely cooled, transfer them to a cool, dark place.