Right after I made hamburgers for lunch I realized we have been low on ketchup. Considering that my husband is a ketchup nut (he considers it a vegetable) I gave the final of the ketchup to him, and put chili sauce on my hamburger. The two bottles were side-by-size on the table. “What is the distinction involving chili sauce and ketchup?” I asked.
This query aroused my husband’s curiosity. He read the labels and concluded, “Seasoning. The seasonings are diverse, but the companies don’t list them.” Each condiments contained tomato concentrate and higher fructose corn syrup. The ketchup contained onion and garlic powder, whereas the chili sauce contained dehydrated onions. At the finish, every label had the words “natural flavors.”
What did the words imply? This question led me to a single of my preferred cookbooks, a single I inherited from my mother-in-law right after she died, The Boston Cooking-College Cook Book by Frannie Merritt Farmer, very first published in 1896. My mother-in-law’s cookbook was published in 1936 and, interestingly, the recipes for chili sauce and ketchup are on the very same page.
In truth, this cookbook consists of two recipes for chili sauce, 1 with more seasoning and the other with onions and red pepper. These are historic, produced-from-scratch recipes no cheating with tomato sauce or paste. Fresh peeled and sliced tomatoes are the 1st ingredient. Contrary to what you might feel, there are no hot chili peppers or chili powder in chili sauce. Some modern day-day cookbooks, however, have added hot chili peppers to spice up the recipe.
chile ristras created their personal chili sauce and ketchup and these savory sauces simmered on the stove for hours. The Cooks.com site has posted guidelines for creating your own condiments. According to the write-up, “Substitutes,” you can make quick versions of chili sauce and ketchup.
For chili sauce, combine 1 cup tomato sauce, half a cup of brown sugar, two tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, a dash of cloves, dash of allspice, and dash of cayenne pepper. To make substitute ketchup combine 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1/two cup sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and a pinch of cloves.
I wanted to make Fannie Merritt Farmer’s chili sauce, but the tomatoes in Minnesota grocery stores are really unique from summer tomatoes. Winter tomatoes are pale and just about tasteless, so I didn’t make the sauce. Nevertheless, I did up date the historic recipe. Rather of light brown sugar, I advocate dark brown. For vinegar use what you have on hand — white, cider, or rice vinegar. I would use rice vinegar due to the fact it is constantly on my pantry shelf.
Components
12 medium-sized tomatoes
four medium yellow onions, chopped
2 sweet red peppers, chopped
two Tbsp, salt (or lowered sodium salt)
1 Tbsp. celery seed
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
two c. rice vinegar
Strategy
Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for 1-two minutes. Cool briefly and get rid of the skins. Cut the peeled tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices. Transfer to huge kettle. Add onion, red pepper, salt, celery seed, brown sugar, and vinegar. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer more than low heat for three hours. Or line a slow cooker with a cooking bag, transfer mixture to the cooker, set on low, and cook for five hours. Ladle into jars and refrigerate. The chili sauce will retain in the refrigerator for weeks.