Homemade Ketchup, Nightshade free AIP option
For cocktail sauce, follow the Ketchup variation and add grated horseradish or wasabi to desired hot-ness!
Depending on what part of the globe you’re from you may know this as Ketchup, Catsup, or even something completely different. Before I went nightshade free on the AIP I wouldn’t consider myself a tomato lover, nor much of a ketchup eater, but man, once it was off the table it seems to be one of those things that I missed. From french fry sauce, to cocktail sauce and even smeared on a meatloaf sandwich. Tomatoes aside, storebought ketchup is absolute trash. It’s loaded with sugar, primarily from corn syrup, even the organic stuff is full of cane sugar which is only marginally better.. Then theres the bougie ketchup from Whole Foods; don’t even get me started there. On one hand generic catsup (i.e poverty gravy) is like a buck a bottle while the premium stuff is over five for less than 12 ounces. It shouldn’t be this complicated or expensive, so thats why I set forth to figure it out.
It is typically a tomato sauce based, lightly spiced, sort of sweet condiment served alongside potatoes or meat; but in these parts its used as a base sauce for a multitude of other things, like cocktail sauce for shrimp, or an Idaho favorite Finger Steaks.
Ingredients
1 recipe Nightshade free tomato sauce (or two 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes, about 6 cups)
1 tsp Sea salt
1/3 - 1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Garlic Powder or 2 cloves grated garlic
1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 whole cloves or 1/8th tsp ground cloves
2 bay leaves
AIP Modification
Nightshade free tomato sauce in place of tomatoes.
Equipment
Medium Sauce Pot or slow cooker
Blender, Immersion or jar
Method
Add Salt, Honey, Balsamic vinegar, Garlic Powder and spices; if you’re using whole spices like cinnamon stick, whole clove and bay leaves create a little cheesecloth bag and tie it off with butcher twine. so it is easy to remove before blending.
Bring the mixture to a low simmer for at least 30 minutes and reduce to desired consistency. Taste and add salt + additional vinegar to achieve desired tang.
Notes: Stores in the fridge up to 30 days. It freezes incredibly well too! We like to make a big batch and freeze in an ice cube tray for small portions, and zipper bags for larger 1 cup portions for other recipes (like meatloaf). Makes Approx 5 cups.