Day Three!

Earlier this week I saw a bargain and did not hesitate. A whole 5kg box of tomatoes for just £4. So far, they have played a major role in a Chutney, a bit part in a Picalilli and today was the day of their leading role: Tomato Ketchup.
I took 2kg of the tomatoes and chopped them into chunks. I also chopped up 4 smallish onions. I placed these all in my preserving plan with a large splash of red wine vinegar and brought it all to the boil. The pan was then turned down to a gentle simmer for just over an hour.
If you are lucky there will be no power cuts, but if you destiny is to be interrupted for an hour it's not a major issue. It's been that kind of day!
The tomatoes and onions needed t be a bit pulpy. This was then pushed through a sieve in order to remove all the pips and skins.
While this was going on I infused 300ml of red wine vinegar with a big pinch of chipotle flakes some pepper corns, a couple of bay leaves and a few crushed allspice berries. The infusion was done by heating the vinegar to boiling point and adding the bits and bobs then allowing it to cool. (Through the power cut if that works for you)
The pulp was then returned to the heat, the strained vinegar added and 100gms of dark sugar added. This was brought to a gentle boil until reduced by about 50%. The ketchup was then popped into 2 standard jars.

Ready for their labels