by Marla » Mon Aug 29, 2011 11:25 am I have found it very difficult to buy ketchup that is free of HFCS and not too high in sugar or sodium. Heinz no-salt added ketchup has potassium chloride and HFCS (I have never tried it and never will). So I wanted a ketchup recipe that was easy to make and good-tasting. This is what I use all the time now.
Marla's Better Ketchup
Makes 20 ounces
2 6-ounce cans no salt added tomato paste
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon allspice
pinch cloves
Empty tomato paste into a saucepan. Over low heat, gradually whisk in the apple juice and vinegar until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently. This recipe is very easy to tweak to your liking If you like it sweeter, add whatever sweetener you fancy. If you think it is too sweet, substitute water for some of the apple juice. If you think it is too vinegary, substitute water for some of the vinegar. If it is too thick for you, add more liquid.
This recipe as written results in a thick, tomato-y ketchup with the consistency of cocktail sauce. I like to think of it as "gourmet ketchup" or "grown-up" ketchup. A wide-mouth jar works best for storage. If you want a silkier texture, more like commercial ketchup, you can add a bit more liquid (water or apple juice) and blend it in a Vitamix or other powerful blender. I have done this and it works nicely. After blending you can pour into an old ketchup bottle. It will keep at least 2 weeks in the fridge.
If you want, you can make spicy ketchup by adding Tabasco or cayenne. You can make wasabi ketchup by adding wasabi powder.
According to the Cron-o-Meter, one tablespoon of this ketchup has 11.4 calories, 1.3 grams of sugar, and 8.6mg of sodium. By comparison, one tablespoon of Hunts Tomato Ketchup has 20 calories, 4 grams of sugar, and 190mg of sodium.
