OSCAR'S BEETROOT KETCHUP

This is crazy good! 

It's that time of year when my homegrown beets are ready and me and mum like to prep food for preserving over winter, mum wanted to make beetroot relish but I wanted to make beetroot ketchup.  I can't wait to eat this and share with family and friends.

Prep time 20 minutes / Cooking time 30 minutes / Canning time 25 minutes 

Ingredients 

(Makes 6 small jars)

1kg raw beets grated

2 large raw carrots, grated

2 large Bramley apple peeled, grated

4 cloves garlic grated

3 red chillies chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp all spice

1/4 tsp mace

50ml balsamic vinegar

50ml apple cider vinegar

100-200g dark brown sugar

1.3 ltr water

Himalayan sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper

In a large heavy bottomed pan place all the ingredients except half the sugar and the salt and pepper.  Bring up to a boil, turn the heat down to a medium simmer and cook for around 30 minutes, until every thing is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Using a stick blender purée the beetroot ketchup until really smooth.  Taste, season with the salt and pepper then depending on your taste add the remaining soft brown sugar for a sweeter ketchup. 

For a really smooth ketchup you can pass the sauce through a fine mesh seize pushing as much of the sauce as possible through.  To store your ketchup pour into bottles and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Long Term Shelf Storing Ball Mason Canning

Sterilise your jars buy placing clean dry pre washed jars on a baking tray in your oven at 180 degrees C / 375 F for 5 minutes, fill the hot jars with your hot ketchup, pop the lids on and loosely place the bands on the top, pop the jars on the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes, not a second longer!  This is where they will heat to a safe temperature, remove from the oven and leave to cool.  You should hear the rewarding sound of "ping" as the jars seal from the canning process.  Check the lids are sealed, tighten the bands and store on the shelf to use over the next few months.  Once opened store in the fridge and use within a week or so, if it lasts that long!