Bought ketchup is a permanent fixture in our fridge, mainly to go with a certain two-year-old’s fish fingers. This homemade version, however, is a little more grown up. I like my breakfast to have a little kick to it and this has the smokiness of paprika and red peppercorns to give a twist to my sausage sandwiches. The agar and xanthan give it a lovely light fluidity and creaminess.Ingredients
- 450g cherry tomatoes, and the vine
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 8 red peppercorns
- 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
- A dash of balsamic vinegar
- A dash of red wine vinegar
- A dash of olive oil
- A large dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 10 drops of Angostura bitters
- 1 tsp of mustard seeds
- A splash of water
- A splash of red wine
- A few drops of Tabasco sauce
- ½ tsp of agar and 1/8 tsp of xanthan powder. Both available in health food shops
Method
- Cook the tomatoes and their vines until soft in a heavy-bottomed pan with some olive oil, the peppercorns and a pinch of salt. Squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
- Add the paprika, sugar, balsamic, Worcester sauce, Angostura bitters, mustard seeds and the red wine vinegar, then cook for five minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Add a little water if it's getting too thick.
- Strain through a sieve and keep the solids. Set the liquid to one side.
- Put the solids back into the pan and add the red wine and a splash of water. Cook for five minutes. Strain this through muslin into the set-aside liquid.
- Add the agar and xanthan, bring to the boil, decant and leave to cool until set. With a hand blender, blitz the mixture until creamy and store in the fridge in a spotlessly clean airtight container such as a kilner jar.