Recipe

Pluot Ketchup

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Pluot Ketchup

Photo by AntoniaJames

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Condiment
  • A&M's Testing Notes: I really like this recipe and look forward to using the final product. I had trouble finding pluots so I used a combination of red plums and plumcots. I found that I only needed 1/2 tablespoon...

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  • Chef

    AntoniaJames's Notes: If the ingredient list for this looks familiar, well, that’s because it’s a variation on my rhubarb and onion ketchup, minus the strawberry balsamic vinegar. I substitute port for the red...

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Serves about 2 cups

2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

2 bay leaves Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups of pluots or plums (or a combination), finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

½ cup ruby port (or a Cotes du Rhone red wine) Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cup brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon naturally fermented soy sauce Ask a question about this ingredient

½ cup white wine vinegar Ask a question about this ingredient

¼ teaspoon mace Ask a question about this ingredient

¼ teaspoon ground coriander Ask a question about this ingredient

1/8 teaspoon allspice Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon of brown mustard (I use one with horseradish in it.) Ask a question about this ingredient

Raw honey to taste, if necessary Ask a question about this ingredient

Pinch of kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient

Freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

White miso to taste (But please see note, below.) Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. In a heavy pot with a lid, cook the onions in the oil with a pinch of salt and the bay leaves over medium heat until just translucent, stirring frequently. Then turn the heat down and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring every four or five minutes, taking care not to let them get brown. They should be the slightest golden brown, very soft and sweetly fragrant.

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  2. Add the wine, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, wine vinegar, mace, coriander and allspice. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for another 15-20 minutes, until very thick and gooey.

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  3. Add the pluots and cook for five or six minutes, until just tender. Turn the heat off and cover; let it sit for about ten minutes. Remove the lid, stir well and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

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  4. Add the mustard and stir well; let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

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  5. Puree in a blender until smooth. Taste it. If it seems too sharp (vinegary), add a tablespoon or two -- one at a time, tasting after the first -- of raw honey.

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  6. Add the ground pepper and blend to combine. Do NOT add the miso if you are going to be processing this for shelf stable storage.

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  7. If you plan to vacuum seal for longer term storage, you should put the ketchup back into the pot and heat it to boiling before pouring into sterilized jars and sealing according to the manufacturer's instructions. lid.

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  8. If you are not vacuum sealing this, you can skip the re-heating step, add a tablespoon or two of miso, if you like it, and pour into any jar with a vinegar-proof lid. The miso gives this a bit more "umami" than it otherwise would have. This ketchup will keep, refrigerated, for at least two weeks.

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  9. Enjoy!!

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  10. CANNING TIP #1: Here’s a tip about making condiments for gift giving. All condiments taste better after a few weeks or in some instances, after a month. Every batch will vary, regardless of how many times you’ve used the recipe, because the fruit will be different from year to year. I usually will vacuum seal for storage in pints or quarts, and then, in the weeks before Christmas, I will taste test the condiments again. If they are worthy of gift giving, I then reheat to boiling and re-seal and process the condiments in 4 or 8 ounce jars.

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  11. CANNING TIP #2: A procedure I discovered (and have wondered how on earth it's taken so long, after all these years of canning, to figure out) is to use a large, towel-lined rectangular baking pan for moving jars to and from the hot water bath, to and from my workspace, and from the stove to the shelf where I cool the jars. Just make sure it's a pan you don't need to use for other things during the twenty-four hours that the jars are cooling. It's a really safe way to move hot jars, and is so efficient, too!!

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  12. CANNING TIP #3: Regardless of what other instructions you see in recipes posted in various places on the internet, make sure that you put your canning lids in simmering water (no hotter than 180 degrees) and that you keep them hot just until you use them. It's not enough simply to make sure they're clean. You put them in the hot water to soften the gasket (the rubber rim), which is essential to creating a good seal.

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5 Comments on Pluot Ketchup

Reply

OMG! I was looking for a different recipe for the pluots from my tree and found this. I just made a batch and plan on making more this Sunday. This is amazing. I didn't have to add any additional honey or miso (maybe because my tree produces such tasty fruit.)

Antonia, have you ever doubled or tripled the recipe? Any changes in timing? I would love to make a bigger batch since this is somewhat time consuming.

One small note. The recipe says 1/2 tsp. salt in the ingredients and 1 teaspoon salt in the instructions. I started off with 1/2 teaspoon and it was fine but maybe that can be corrected.

Ab_sum Reply

So interesting!

Chocolate_peppermint_truffle_cookies_032 Reply

I LOVE THIS!!!!! I've gotta make this! I KNEW you'd come up with some really innovative, tastey condiments!

036 Reply

This sounds amazing - so the pluots replace the tomato in the ketchup? GREAT idea on the gift giving too!

New_years_kitchen_hlc_only Reply

Indeed, there is no tomato in this ketchup . . . it's tart and a bit fruity and vinegary and savory and it's great on ham sandwiches, BLTs, anything smoky, and anything grilled. I've been known to use a teaspoon of it to give depth to a salad dressings too, on occasion, when color wasn't an issue, e.g., using red wine vinegar and red or dark green leaf lettuce. Thanks for the kind words. ;o)

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