Homemade ketchup is a great way to use up excess tomatoes from the garden

Ingredients
4 good-size onions , very roughly chopped
250g celery , very roughly chopped
5 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
4 garlic cloves , sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 short cinnamon stick
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp celery salt
2kg ripe tomatoes , roughly chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp Tabasco sauce
200ml white wine vinegar
200g golden caster sugar

Method

Put the onions and celery into a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a very large saucepan; add the onions and celery, cover, then soften over a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 5 minutes more, then tip in the spices and cook for 1 minute.

Now stir in all remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Keep on a bubbling simmer, uncovered, for 1 hr until the tomatoes are squashy and the liquid has reduced by several inches.
Whizz the mix with a stick blender until smooth, then sieve into a bowl. The ketchup will thicken a little when it cools, but if yours seems very runny (this will depend on the juiciness of your tomatoes), put it back on the heat and cook a little longer, stirring often, until reduced. Keep the ketchup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months, or freeze in batches. If you like, keep in sterilised bottles or jars for up to 6 months - see tip, below. Try

Jar sterilising
To sterilise jars, run them through the dishwasher, or wash in hot soapy water and let dry in a warm oven. Fill the jars while they and the ketchup are still warm, seal, and then keep in a cool, dark place.
25 kcalories, protein 0g, carbohydrate 4g, fat 1 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 0g, sugar 4g, salt 0.08 g

Ends