Making Your Own Condiments

[andiesenji]

Easy Sugar-Free Spicy Ketchup

The following is an original recipe for a very easy homemade spicy (or not) ketchup that also is a nice gift from your kitchen.

Andie's Sugarless Spicy Ketchup

Yield, 10 - 1/2 pint jars.

4 quarts tomatoes, peeles, cooked and strained (may be canned tomatoes)

1 Jalapeño (or other hot) pepper, seeded and chopped (optional, omit if you do not want it spicy)

3 cups apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 cups Splenda

1 Tablespoon Celery seed, ground

1 Tablespoon Allspice, ground

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon, ground

1 Tablespoon Star anise, ground

2 Tablespoons kosher salt (or sea salt if you prefer)

1 Tablespoon Black pepper, Ground

Combine all ingredients in an 8-quart, non-reactive pot

(stainless steel, enamel or anodized aluminum, do not use shiny aluminum).

Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until it is reduced by half.

Remove from heat and allow to cool, process in food processor

or put through a medium fine food mill so that ketchup is smooth with no lumps.

Return to cooking vessel and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

(may also be heated in microwave, stir after every 5 minutes of heating)

Using a canning funnel, ladle into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint jars,

allow 1/2 inch headroom.

Wipe rims and apply flat canning lid and ring but do not tighten.

Place in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes.

Tighten ring.

(May use 5 pint jars if you wish.)

This is an original recipe by Andie

Note: I do a lot of canning. For hot water processing I use an electric roaster. It has a wire rack that covers the entire bottom and will hold more jars than the typical round canner or stockpot. It is also not as deep so it is easy to place and remove the jars. It maintains the correct temperature and additional boiling water can be added from a teakettle.

Edited June 26, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

Here is the verde (green or tomatillo) sauce I made today.

Ingredients cut into chunks. Tomatillos, onions, peppers, Jalapeños are customary but I like these Caloro, they are about the same heat level as the jals, but have a fruity flavor.

I usually use 6 to 8 large cloves of raw garlic but since I have a lot of already roasted garlic I am using that instead.

Salted, peppered and tossed with oil and roasted garlic.

After roasting for 45 minutes in a 450 degree oven.

Ready to pulse.

Pulsed for 40 seconds.

Two quarts of green magic!

This sauce is now ready to be combined with chicken stock and cooked down a bit for an enchilada sauce, or with a little pork stock for pork stewed in verde sauce.

[helenjp]

Hey, andiesenji, what are those peppers?

They look very similar to a thing being sold in Japan as "Anastasia Russian sweet pepper", which seems to be unknown in any other part of the world!

[sashimi]

This thread is fantastic. I just wanted to thank you for documenting your experiences like this, andiesenji.

[andiesenji]

Hey, andiesenji, what are those peppers?

They look very similar to a thing being sold in Japan as "Anastasia Russian sweet pepper", which seems to be unknown in any other part of the world!

They are called Caloro or Caloro Yellow Wax. The simple heat index is 5, the same as Jalapeño.

They have a fruity flavor a bit like apple, which makes a nice flavor combined with the tomatillos.

(Manzano or Rocoto peppers also have this apple flavor but they are much, much hotter.)

You can see a photo of immature ones HERE

before they have begun to turn color. Scroll down - they are in alphabetical order.

I picked all the ones with color but didn't have enough so picked some not quite ripe. It is okay to use the immature ones, they just don't have all the flavor of the more mature ones.

They are easy to grow and the plants bear heavily. I only have 4 plants and got all these peppers. There are a lot more tiny ones and lots of blooms.

[ajmac1972]

Wow did I luck into finding this! thanks for the great recipes. I made a variety of mustards a few years ago as holiday gifts, and they were huge hits...You've all given me the inspiration to do it again this year.

Mustard is perhaps one of my favorite things, and though I've found some interesting blends, I've never found one as good as the ones I made...wish I hadn't lost the recipes.

Andie...I'll be sure to use yours!

The salsa verde looks wonderful...now if I just wasn't married to a man allergic to the entire garlic/onion family...I'm printing it out so I can make it when he travels!

Thanks!

AJ

[Anything_but_liver]

One of my favorite cookbooks, published in '86, is called Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty. It is full of "put-by elegant edibles" including many mustards, ketchups - mushroom and otherwise, mushroom essence, vinegars, nectars, fromage blanc, tapanades, potted hams, etc. etc. The book has been long out of print but it's available used at Amazon for $6. It really is a nice book.

[andiesenji]

One of my favorite cookbooks, published in '86, is called Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty. It is full of "put-by elegant edibles" including many mustards, ketchups - mushroom and otherwise, mushroom essence, vinegars, nectars, fromage blanc, tapanades, potted hams, etc. etc. The book has been long out of print but it's available used at Amazon for $6. It really is a nice book.

I have that one and it is a great book!! Ialso have her Better Than Store Bought written with Elizabeth Colchie

Also Barry Bluestein and Kevin Morrissey's Home Made in the Kitchen;

Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys & Chowchows by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby;

Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich; The Whole Chile Pepper Book by DeWitt and Gerlach;

and The Incredible Secrets of Mustard by Marie Antol,

These and this one I bought in 1963, A Book of Curries and Chutneys by Veach & Brown have been my main inspirations.

I may have used a recipe exactly as written in these sources once or twice, however I can never leave something alone and have developed my own recipes and methods as I discovered flavors I preferred and easier ways of preparing the material.

I have a huge collection of books on pickling, preserving, canning, anything and everything imaginable but there is always something new to learn, some new ingredient used or combined with other ingredients in ways different to those I know.

[andiesenji]

I have been asked to repost my recipe for mustard from scratch (or rather from seed) by someone who emailed me directly because they couldn't locate the topic or post in which it appeared.

Here it is:

MASTER MUSTARD RECIPE

an Original Recipe by Andie

First let me say that I grow my own mustard because I like to, however it is not necessary. You can find whole black and brown and white or yellow mustard seed in any Indian market and there are plenty around so you should have no difficulty finding a source.

This is the basic mustard recipe I use - it is easy to adjust it for your taste and

add various spices, herbs, condiments that make it to your taste. I use mostly black and brown mustard, however a yellow or white variety has crept into my mustard patch in the last few years and it now makes up about 5% of the total. (I am not going to pick them out one by one.)

I do not use honey because one my friends has a severe allergy to honey or something in honey - so I use apple jelly for the basic sweetener in sweet/hot mustard, or half apple jelly and half orange marmalade, or whatever.

This is for a coarse, homestyle type mustard which will not be creamy.

Measure out 2/3 cup of the mustard seeds, dump them into a fairly fine wire strainer and shake to get rid of any bits of stem or hull that has not been removed in the threshing. Rinse with cold water and leave to drain in the strainer.

In a glass jar with tight fitting lid place the following

1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned).

1/2 cup sweet mirin or any sweet white wine.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar - brown or white

Add the mustard seed, close tightly and shake briefly

Set aside and allow to soak overnight or at least for 8 hours, (you can leave it for days or even weeks, the seeds will not spoil, they will just get softer)

If you are around, shake the jar a couple of times in the interval or stir it with a long handled spoon but if you don’t think of it don’t worry it is not absolutely necessary.

Pour into blender and start on low speed, gradually increasing speed as the seeds break up. The mustard will begin to thicken, stop after a few minutes and stir to check on consistency, you may have to add a bit of water if it becomes too thick. (If the seeds have taken up all the moisture then you will have to add some liquid.)

When the mixture just begins to hold its shape, stop blending and add 1 cup of either apple jelly, orange marmalade, red currant jelly, apricot jam - or a mixture of any or all.

Continue blending until you can no longer see any whole seeds in the mix.

Pour into a glass jar, cap tightly and refrigerate for a day or so the mustard can mature and mellow a bit.

At this point this is going to be a fairly hot, sinus-clearing mustard.

The mixture will thicken a little but should still be somewhat runny and will have a sharp bite. (tastes a bit "raw")

THE NEXT STEP IS IMPORTANT!

At this point it has to be cooked a bit to modify the flavor, reduce the "bite". You can cook it in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water until it thickens to spreadable consistency.

OR

You can do it in the microwave in just a minute or two.

In a wide bowl or casserole dish, which will allow the mustard to foam up 3 times its depth without going over the sides, pour the mustard so it is about 3/4 inch deep.

At 50% power, nuke it for 20 seconds- stir, repeat the 20 second cook, stir

again and repeat.......

This should take a total of perhaps 2 minutes (at most) cooking time.

As you stir the mustard back down after it has foamed up, you will begin to notice that it is thicker and has begun to look slightly translucent and shiny.

At this point let it cool and taste it. Some of the harsh bite should be gone but you should still be able to taste the spiciness.

MOST IMPORTANT!

This is the way to adjust the taste of the mustard. If you cook it too long the flavor will be gone. If you plan to add anything to it, such as mayonnaise, or mix it into sour cream or cream cheese or ??? leave it a bit spicer than you would if using it straight. The additive will lessen the pungency of the mustard and you will lose the "bite" of the mustard.

Put the finished mustard back in the (washed and scalded) jar, cap tightly and store in fridge.

Now you have a basic mustard to which you can add green peppercorns or horseradish, or cranberry relish, or chutney, hot peppers, carmelized onion, roasted garlic, etc., the only limit is your imagination.

If you have an Asian market buy some of the sweet chile sauce (Mae Ploy is my favorite brand), which is not too hot, and add some of this for a little different flavor, absolutely fantastic with pork or sausages such as bratwurst.

You can mix it half and half with sour cream, mayonnaise or Miracle Whip for a mustard dip. Try it with veggies, with fried or grilled chicken strips.

If you mix it with tartar sauce it makes a great dip for deep-fried crab balls.

[Shalmanese]

I love the idea of just going on a massive cooking spree and then having a whole bunch of prepared ingredients in my fridge from which I can compose a meal in just a few minutes.

Things I have right now:

Duxelle, frozen into ice-cubes

Beef stock (4x reduction), frozen into ice cubes and plastic containers

Chicken stock (2x reduction), frozen into ice cubes and plastic containers

Chicken Fat in fridge

Roasted Garlic in fridge under a layer of EVOO

Herb Oil (Basil, Parsley, Garlic) in fridge

Simple Syrup in pantry

Sauerkraut in pantry

Things I have made but don't have in stock

Onion Confit (should make some more)

Roasted Red Capsicum (should make some more)

Chicken Liver Mousse

Salad Dressing (I make all mine fresh now to match the salad vegtables)

Things I plan on making

Tomato Sauce

Sun dried/oven dried tomatos

What things do you commonly make?

[Daniel]

I dont make it.. But i would guess 1) herbed butter frozen would be pretty good to have on hand.. 2) Vanilla sugar is certainly on my list.. 3) A flavored oil.. 4) Have Balsamic redux on hand.

[Luckylies]

these are things I've had a few items at a time in my fridge..I'd have them all if I could.

rendered duck fat

some frozen fresh pasta and ravioli and cut lasagna sheets

slow roasted tomatoes

a frozen filet mignon ( for carpaccio)

a home made bbq sauce

different marinades and salad dressings

preserved fruits and jams, chutneys

I freeze minced garlic and ginger in tablespoons to pop into things to save time and smelly hands. also it's nice not to have to track down a clove every time...

I like to have some frozen gougeres and cream puffs (they reheat very, very well) or if you hate theis idea...frozen choux pastry dough, it works nicely too.

Frozen puff pastry dough lemon and lime juice

homemade apple sauce

homemade cleaned, steamed frozen spinich (time saver) I hate to clean off the sand and gunk every time I want to throw together and supermarket stuff is notoriously stemmy.

roux? I dont make it but some people do.

How 'bout ketcheup I like heinz but I respect a person who will try this.

onion confit

fresh mayo

clarified butter

cheese sauce

cream sauce

I wish i had a big enough fridge to fit this stuff...

[Really Nice!]

Current freezer inventory is:

Oils and butters

4 units of black pepper oil

15 units of carified butter

4 units of butter solids

5 units of chive oil

22 units of duck fat

3 units of fennel oil

9 units of foie gras fat

10 units of meyer lemon oil

10 units of blood orange oil

7 units of shallot butter

6 units of sage butter

Purees

7 units of fennel puree

19 units of roasted garlic puree

6 units of onion puree

4 units of red pepper coulis

Stocks and Sauces

14 units of veal demiglace

23 units of brown veal stock

5 units of brown chicken stock

27 units of brown duck stock

3 units of white rabbit stock

There's just two of us in our place, so "units" are containers that range from 1/2 to 1 oz for oils and butters, to 2 oz for purees, to 6 oz containers for stocks and sauces.

[Shalmanese]

Luckylies: How does frozen garlic compare with fresh? I would love to not chop garlic every time I made something but I'm absolutely unwilling to compromise on flavour. Right now, I'm using roasted garlic whenever I can. Additionally, is there any way to keep diced onions or mirepoix in a suspended state?

I tried making roux for storage once but for some reason, it completely lost it's thickening power. Very odd.

Mayo I am leery of on food saftey grounds since we don't get through it fast enough. I will make a mayo based dressing from scratch though and fridge the remainder.

Good call on the clarified butter, never tried that before.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Not certain it might be considered a condiment but I do prepare and freeze compound butters as well as making my own salad dressings from various vinegars ... but that isn't actually a condiment either...

[MarketStEl]

I make my own barbecue sauce all the time, according to Ollie Gates' recipe. Easier, faster and cheaper than ordering it from Gates' Bar-B-Q.

I try to make stock whenever I roast a turkey or chicken. I've got some turkey stock in the freezer.

I also have the liquor left over from cooking pigs' feet in a pitcher. I haven't yet figured out what I might use it for, but it had an enticing aroma, so I figured there must be something I could do with it.

[andiesenji]

Several months ago I started this topic on making you own condiments

Condiments

It includes my method for making mustard, starting with the seeds and with photos.

others posted recipes for mustard and ketchup and I also posted recipes for banana ketchup, mushroom ketchup, a sweet, hot chutney and also my recipe and photos of how I make my green sauce (tomatillo sauce) which is not very hot but can be if more or hotter peppers are added, and it is fantastic to use for stewing pork. Or just for a dip!

I also make duxelles as well as onion confit.

Pickles, pickled fruits

Sambals and other chile-based pastes and sauces, some sweet, some sour and some extremely hot!

I roast garlic in olive oil, in a large pot in the oven.

I then jar it up and process it as I would any canned item and it keeps beautifully in the pantry for months.

I will not take a chance on cold-infused garlic oil because of the danger of botulism, but this way the long period of oven heating insures that the organisms are killed. I can use both the garlic and the oil, as I usually put about a cup of the roasted cloves in each pint jar, then fill with the hot oil before capping.

Preserved lemons

preserved ginger

Fruit and spice syrups.

All kinds of dried things such as dried citrus peel, dried shallots, dried vegetables, etc.

Compound butters,

GiftedGourmet started this topic The Ketchup Conundrum

In which I posted my recipe for mushroom ketchup (for people who can't have tomato products).

It makes a great meat sauce.

Edited January 20, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[Mr Wozencroft]

I make garlic confit, onion confit and seasoned wine with the alcohol cooked out.

All three are very usefull for a whole gamet of recipes.

[jayt90]

Pesto! I keep a traditional pesto from October to about March, made from basil, Evoo, parmesan, and pine nuts or walnuts. The basil scent is wonderful, when no fresh leaves are available.

Miso Paste: Light, dark, brown, yellow, or red, I always have two or three packages in the fridge, for quick soups and sauces.

Seaweed, dried, and Bonita flakes, dried: These make a great soup base in minutes, with miso added at the last instant. I usually remove most of the leaves.

Anchovies: I have always bought these in a can, but recently found some dried and salted. Haven't used them yet, but they are good for sauces and sprreads, and re-created pizzas.

Salt Cod: I buy it in the semi-soft packaged version, from Nova Scotia, and use it in a brandade, or with Ackee (canned), or any number of ways suggested by James Beard.

[SobaAddict70]

Good call on the clarified butter, never tried that before.

←

Ghee is really nice as a cooking fat. Once you try making it, you'll almost never go back to EVOO again. (kidding)

I love it's nutty fragrance whenever I make it.

Soba

[Susan G]

Mango chutney

dill pickles

sauerkraut

[deltadoc]

I've probably mentioned this in other posts but here goes:

I make my own catsup, sweet relish, brown stock (veal, beef, turkey), Espagnole Sauce, demi-glace (ala Escoffier), mustard, worcestershire sauce, ice cream, creme fraiche, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, french onion soup, cauliflower soup, tomato puree, bread, sourdough, pizza dough, whole wheat ground in my Vita-mix from wheat berries, clarified butter frozen in Foodsaver bags 250 g, everything I can. Pesto from fresh basil from the garden in the summer, pasta (noodles, spaghetti, lasagne, ravioli), grind my own hamburger, make Italian sausage and stuff into casings, the list goes on and on.

And what can be canned gets canned, what needs to be frozen gets frozen, etc. etc.

One of the few things I still buy besides the basics (flour, milk, butter, eggs, meat, etc.) is Shrimp Cocktail sauce. Never been able to do it better than Hoffman House.

doc

[jgm]

I make garlic confit, onion confit and seasoned wine with the alcohol cooked out.

All three are very usefull for a whole gamet of recipes.

←

This thread is fascinating! Mr. W, would you consider offering more information about the seasoned wine? How do you make it? How do you store it? How do you use it?

For those of you who make duxelles, I would be interested in more information about how you use it/them.

I've always heard that it's not a good idea to chop onions ahead of time, because their flavor changes. However, I was watching an old Jacques Pepin tape a few evenings ago, and he chopped them, rinsed them in water, wrung them out in a dish towel, and said they could be kept a day or so. It made me wonder if they could then be frozen. I'd love to hear opinions on that idea.

Can anybody recommend books that would have recipes and storage directions for various condiments mentioned here? I feel like I've found a gold mine!!!

[sladeums]

8<

For those of you who make duxelles, I would be interested in more information about how you use it/them.

>8

←

There was a very good thread regarding duxelles recently.

Click here for 'Duxelles, a photo essay, How to make a terrific condiment/sauce' thread.

[Luckylies]

the garlic, in my humble opinion holds up perfectly, even in my dubass freezer. the freezing seems not to change a thing. of course garlic in my freezer really only lasts a month max in my freezer (BIG container) so past thant I'm not to sure. ginger stays nicely too.

Luckylies: How does frozen garlic compare with fresh? I would love to not chop garlic every time I made something but I'm absolutely unwilling to compromise on flavour. Right now, I'm using roasted garlic whenever I can. Additionally, is there any way to keep diced onions or mirepoix in a suspended state?

I tried making roux for storage once but for some reason, it completely lost it's thickening power. Very odd.

Mayo I am leery of on food saftey grounds since we don't get through it fast enough. I will make a mayo based dressing from scratch though and fridge the remainder.

Good call on the clarified butter, never tried that before.

←