Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments in the World. It's also the versatile primary base used in countless sauce recipes... which is what inspired this instructable to begin with. 

I came across this promising Ketchup-from-scratch recipe at Serious Eats. I made just a few changes, substituting a few ingredients I didn't already have on hand and forgoing the final strain which wasn't necessary.

The end results were quite satisfying... a robust ketchup that surpassed store-bought ketchup in both flavor and intensity. 

I hope you give this recipe a try. It's differently-delicious and so darn easy to prepare, you'll be asking yourself "Why didn't I make this sooner?".

Yields approx 2 cups.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Tomato Paste
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 cup Yellow Onion- chopped medium
• 1 teaspoon Garlic- grated or minced
• 1/2 cup Dark Brown sugar- lightly packed
• 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground mustard
• 1 pinch Ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Get cookin':   

Heat the Olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Stir and saute 8-10 minutes until the onions are soft but not browned.  

Add the grated garlic. Stir (until you can smell the garlic) about 30 seconds.

Immediately add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 45 minutes, check the consistency of the ketchup and continue simmering as needed.(I simmered very slow, so my ketchup actually took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The sauce was thick and the volume was reduced by half when I took it off my stovetop.)

Pour the ketchup into a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning ("salt" ;-) as needed.

Straining is not necessary. Just pour the ketchup into a jar. Seal and refrigerate overnight. Like every tomato-based sauce in existence, the flavors meld and improve dramatically with age. ;-)

This ketchup has no preservatives or stabilizers. It must be kept refrigerated and will stay fresh for up to one month.

I'll update this Ible to include more Sauce Recipes in the very near future, so check back if your tastebuds are so inclined. ;-)