I’m not the biggest fan of steak sauce, but certain members of my family who shall go unnamed seem to take the stuff intravenously. The beauty of steak sauce is they use raisins as the base, and I do admit there’s a certain genius to it; the one popular condiment that advertisers have successfully managed to make me FEEL is sophisticated despite the fact few self-respecting carnivores would use it on a quality steak.
But ketchup, now that’s the stuff. I honestly don’t know if I can ever get enough on a burger, on hash browns, on onion rings–and it is the raison d’être for my meatloaf. Make that ketchup at home, inveigle a little steak sauce zestiness into it and then some, and you have a ketchup fit for slurping right out of the bottle. Here’s a close approximation of my home recipe. There’s no added sugar in this recipe because the raisins do the talking. I make this recipe by feel–so follow your heart and adjust according to your own instincts.
Makes about 1.5 quarts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
3 8oz cans unsalted stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 cups raisins
2 guajillo chilis or 1 generous pinch of red pepper flakes
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon orange zest
Water
Fleur de sel
Heat olive oil, onion, and garlic in large heavy saucepan, sauté until translucent. Add all the other ingredients except the ginger, water, and fleur de sel. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Fill blender ¾ full. Add the ginger and orange zest. Add a little water. Pour through strainer (not sieve) and strain into large saucepan. Blend and strain the remaining mixture. Add water to achieve desired consistency. Add fleur de sel to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and pour into sterilized jars. Keeps for several months in the refrigerator.
