classic homemade ketchup

Have you ever made something without saving the recipe, later realizing how wonderfully successful your efforts were? Sometimes re-finding a recipe in the depths of the internet is simple, and other times not-so-much. This story starts with a not-so-easy to find recipe. 

Last fall, my babe and I made a killer batch of ketchup. A week or so later, we had a whole bunch of friends over for dinner, asking them to bring something that would pair well with our ketchup (plus, who can resist the pun of a ketchup party to catch up with your friends!?!). The ketchup was a big hit, but I never thought to save that silly webpage when there was an abundance of it in the fridge. Of course. 

Fast forward to this summer, with homemade ketchup on my mind again. I spent a solid hour or two scouring the internet for that famed ketchup recipe, finally settling on what I was positive was the recipe we used. 100 % positive. The photos were exactly as I remembered them. 

Of course the second we looked at it together, babes was positive it was not the one... So we adventured our way through a new batch of ketchup, tasting and altering along the way. This process arrived us at the below recipe, ready for you! But hurry - there isn't much of the tomato season left! 

More on these fool-proof breakfast potatoes soon! 

This recipe made us 6 pints of ketchup, plenty to last through the winter! You can easily cut the recipe if you don't need quite so much! 

ingredients: 

12 pounds tomatoes, quartered (use a variety good for sauce, like roma) 

1 large onion, diced 

1 red pepper, diced 

1 tsp cayenne pepper 

1 tsp celery salt

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 

1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces 

2 tsp whole cloves 

1 tsp peppercorns 

1 1/2 tsp whole allspice berries 

2 cloves garlic

1 cup turbinado sugar 

1/2 cup dark brown sugar 

2 Tbsp salt 

1/4 cup tomato paste (optional) 

instructions: 

• Pour apple cider vinegar into a small pot and add cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, allspice, and garlic. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, strain through a mesh sieve to remove spices. 
• Put tomatoes into a large stockpot and crush them with a potato masher, or whatever you have (I used the smashing stick from our vitamix) to release some liquid. Add onions, peppers, cayenne, and celery salt. Cook over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes. 
• Once the spices have steeped their 30 minutes, add vinegar to the tomatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. 
• Next, we need to make our ketchup super smooth. You can do this by running it in batches through a food mill (using the fine dish), or pureeing the mixture in a blender and then straining it through a sieve. If you use the blender method, you'll want to use a rubber spatula to press all the liquid through the sieve. You should just have some skins and seeds remaining to compost. 
• Return the mixture to the stockpot and let the mixture gently boil for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. 
• Blend the mixture with an immersion blender or in your regular blender to smooth it out once more, then add the sugars and salt and return it to the stove once again. 
• From this point, it will take about an hour of simmering to get the ketchup to the right thickness. You want it to be just a bit thinner than you're hoping for the end product to be as it will thicken as it cools. Stir the ketchup occasionally to keep it from burning. 
• As the ketchup nears finishing, prepare your water bath, jars, and lids. If you're not an experienced canner, there are plenty of resources to read up on the proper procedure. 
• When the ketchup reaches your desired thickness, fill hot jars leaving half an inch of headspace, wipe the rims, put on the lids, and process in the water bath for 15 minutes (for pint or half-pint jars). 

spiced apple cake with caramel

Apple cake just might be my very definition of fall. When the apples ripen and the summer days start to cool enough that I'm overly excited about my oven all over again, it's this apple cake that I always want first. It is sweet and decadent, but also full of fruit - so I'll go ahead and say it makes a great breakfast (though it definitely won't keep you full all morning). So if you're a fan of pie for breakfast, this may just be your new go to for the fall! 

This apple cake mixes a hearty (half) whole wheat cake spiced with ginger and nutmeg with a hefty serving of apples to create a perfect fall cake.

First we gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, carefully folding them together with a rubber spatula to create a thick batter. 

Half of the batter goes into the bottom of our pan, then a thin layer of apples are placed in the middle of the cake to bring some apple richness throughout the entire cake. 

Next comes the rest of the batter and that hefty serving of apples, then your ready for the oven. Putting this many apples on our cake will keep the cake super moist (maybe event too wet in some folks minds... but I sure love a moist cake!). If you want a less moist but still absolutely amazing cake, use a bundt pan! 

Then we just need to bake it, for quite a long time, until the center is fully cooked. And voila - cake! 

I know I'm using a glass dish that differs from the suggested 8x8 size in these photos. I highly recommend you use a metal 8x8 baking dish. The cake will cook more evenly, and not have as thick of a bake line as mine did (the darker edge where the cake is touching the pan). 

But whatever you do use, the cake will be delicious, and you will rejoice!

Last but not (by a long shot) least, I couldn't help but top this apple cake with a drizzle of the easiest caramel you've ever laid your hands on. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the slow gentle process of caramelizing a hefty serving of cane sugar to create a luscious caramel... but I also understand that not everyone feels so comfortable melting sugar. If you're feeling adventurous or love making caramel, my recipe can be found buried in this lengthy recipe for brownie ice cream sandwiches (yes, I put a layer of caramel in them... because obviously brownies and ice cream wasn't enough decadence).  

This caramel I'm sharing here, on the other hand, requires basically no work and no worry. If you're having a lazy day, but also really want a helping of caramel sauce for your cake, your ice cream, or your spoon - this is it my friends. You're welcome. 

The cake recipe was adapted from the wonderful Smitten Kitchen. 

Apple Cake 

ingredients: 

2 large apples, cut to a small dice 

2 cups + 2 Tbsp cane sugar 

1 Tbsp cinnamon 

1 Tbsp vanilla 

1 cup vegetable oil 

4 eggs 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

1 1/2 cups white flour 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 

1 Tbsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

instructions: 

• Prepare an 8x8 square baking dish by buttering and flouring it. 
• In a small bowl, stir together apples, cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp sugar. Set aside. 
• In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Start by whisking together eggs, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla. Once combined, add in the remaining 2 cups of sugar and whisk to combine. 
• Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl until evenly combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until all the flour clumps have been incorporated. 
• Pour about half the batter into the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle a very sparse layer of apples over the batter. Spread the remaining batter over the thin layer of apples, then cover the top with the remaining apples. 
• Bake at 350 for about about 75 minutes, or until the center is cooked. 
• Drizzle entire cake with the caramel, or each slice as you're serving. 

Super Simple Caramel Drizzle 

ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

pinch of salt  

instructions: 

• Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine as the butter melts. 
• Continue stirring and cooking until the mixture starts to boil lightly. Let it boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly. 
• Remove from heat, pour into a glass container, and let cool completely before using. 

sweet potato & kale lasagna

I think lasagna is my ultimate comfort food (of the savory foods that is, the sweet comfort foods have their own multi-page list), particularly when it's chock full of cheesy cream sauce and sweet potatoes. That said, I just had to share this favorite with all of you! It layers fresh homemade pasta with cheesy thyme cream sauce, sweet potatoes, and a whole bunch of kale (really, the whole bunch!). 

My babes and I went hiking last weekend in the Indian Hills Wilderness, and were met with a few chilly and misty days. While hiking through the cold, we got to chatting about all the things we wanted to make with the return of cooler weather and a renewed excitement for standing near a hot stove all day long or having the oven run for hours. 

The first thing on my wish list - this lasagna. So while we returned to our Portland life only to discover highs in the mid 80s and 90s all week long, I immediately got to work making this the coolest day of the week! 

This is how it's done: 

First, we spread a little sauce on the bottom of the dish and create the first layer of pasta goodness. I like to layer the pasta in right from the roller - easy peasy! 

Then comes a whole lot of roughly chopped kale and a layer of thinly sliced sweet potatoes. 

Of course, then we have to spread on a whole bunch of our luscious sauce! 

Then you just layer layer layer, sprinkle some extra cheese on top and bake it until it's browned to perfection! 

the pasta

ingredients: 

7oz semolina flour 

7oz whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour 

4 eggs 

instructions: 

• You can make this dough using a stand mixer, but it's always turned out better when I do it by hand so I suggest you do too! 
• Evenly combine the flours in a medium bowl, preferably one with a wide opening, then create a large well in the flour mixture. 
• Crack the eggs into the well, and slightly beat them with a fork. Continue beating with your fork, slowly incorporating more and more of the flour. 
• Once you've incorporated as much flour as possible, dump it all our onto the counter and knead the dough using any extra flour in the bowl to keep it from sticking to the counter. 
• Continue kneading for 5-10 minutes, this ensures some serious gluten is formed so you can roll the dough super thin! 
• Refrigerate dough in a sealed container or covered with plastic for at least 30 minutes (but up to 5 hours).  

the cream sauce 

ingredients: 

1 medium sweet onion, minced 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour 

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

5 cups whole milk, room temperature or warmed (warmed will speed up the cooking process) 

2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme

salt & pepper to taste  

instructions: 

• First, we want to nicely brown the onions and garlic. Heat a medium pan over medium heat, then add about 2 Tbsp your oil of choice (butter, or olive oil). Once the oil has heated, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally. When onions have become translucent, add garlic. Let cook until both the onions and the garlic have browned significantly and are smelling heavenly! 
• While the onions are cooking, you can work on the cream sauce. Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Once melted, slowly sprinkle in the flour while simultaneously whisking the mixture. Once all the flour is incorporated, let the mixture cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and not letting it darken in color. 
• Slowly add the milk to your butter and flour mixture (which is what we kitchen folks like to call a roux), whisking to evenly combine the mixture. Let the mixture cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened. This will take about 10 minutes or so, depending how warm your milk was to start off with. 
• Once the sauce has thickened, stir in those onions and garlic along with the cheese and thyme. 
• Add salt & pepper to taste. 

the lasagna 

ingredients: 

1 recipe pasta dough (above) OR 1 box dried lasagna noodles 

1 recipe cheesy cream sauce 

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into thin slices (i like to use a mandoline to make fast work of this, but you can do it with a knife too - just cut them as thin as you're able to!)

1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 

instructions: 

• Roll the pasta dough as you need it to form the lasagna, you should be able to cover each layer using 1/5 of the dough. I have the Kitchenaid Pasta Roller Attachment and like to roll the dough to #4, a little thicker than I do for most pastas. If you don't use all the dough, just make some extra pasta to dry for another day! 
• If you're using dried lasagna noodles, cook them before forming the lasagna. 
• Spread a thin layer of sauce across the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Create a layer of pasta over the sauce. Cover the pasta with a solid layer of kale, Use 1/3 of the kale in each layer, it'll cook down a ton! Next a layer of sweet potatoes, then a nice thick layer of sauce! 
• Make three more layers just like that one, and top it off with one last layer of pasta and all the sauce you have left. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top, and you're ready for the oven! 
• Bake at 400 degrees, covered with tented foil, for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake until the top is perfectly browned and bubbling, about 20 minutes longer. 
• Let cool about 15 minutes before serving.