Best Tomato Catsup
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- #8133
2-5 hrs
1 review
ingredients
8 pounds tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 piece (1.5 inch size) cinnamon stick, broken
1 teaspoon celery seed
4 teaspoons salt
directions
Wash, peel, remove stem ends and cores, and quarter tomatoes. Let tomatoes stand in colander to drain off excess liquid.
In 8 to 10 qt. kettle or Dutch oven, mix tomatoes, onion and cayenne. Bring to boiling; cook until tomatoes are soft, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Put tomatoes through food mill or a coarse sieve; press to extract juice. Add sugar to tomato juice and return to kettle. Bring to a boil; then simmer briskly 1 1/2 to 2 hours or till mixture is reduced by half (measure depth with ruler at start and end).
Meanwhile, in small saucepan combine next 4 ingredients. Cover; bring mixture to boiling. Remove from heat; let stand.
Strain spiced vinegar mixture into tomato sauce. Discard the spices. Add salt to mixture; simmer till of desired consistency, about 30 minutes. Stir the tomato catsup often.
Pour hot catsup into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath (pints) 10 minutes.
September 18, 2011
This is a tried and true recipe. To modernize it, use a food strainer to peel and seed the tomatoes first then strain the pulp to remove excess water. It will cut the time in half. I also use a emmersion blender once the onions are soft. No need to use a food mill! Delicious!