Rhubarb Ketchup
This elegant summery ketchup combines two or our earliest fruits (rhubarb in fact is classified as a vegetable but in general is used as a fruit) to make this highly fruity and vibrant ketchup. Alongside a gorgeous blush of colour, the addition of strawberries brings a fresh and welcome dimension to this ketchup for savoury foods.
Makes 3 x 250ml bottles/jars.
Ingredients and Method
Ingredients
- 1kg Rhubarb, use pink or red stalks if possible
- 250g Strawberries, hulls removed and halved or quartered
- 1 Medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm pieces
- 200ml Aspall's cider or red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Pink peppercorns, crushed
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 125g granulated sugar
- 1-2 tsp Tabasco or Sriracha sauce
- 2 tsp Cornflour
Method
- Rinse the rhubarb in cold water and trim the ends. Cut into 2-3cm slices and put in a roomy pan. Add the strawberries, apples, vinegar, water, pink peppercorns and the salt.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until all the fruit is completely soft. Remove from the heat.
- Pass the mixture through a food mouli or passata machine — or blitz with a stick blender until totally smooth — but go carefully here, you don’t want the rhubarb splattered over the kitchen ceiling (for an ultra-smooth ketchup blitz first with a stick blender and then sieve).
- Return the mixture to the pan and stir in the sugar and the Tabasco or Sriracha sauce. Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes or so, until the ketchup has reduced a little and is nicely glossy.
- Mix the cornflour and the salt with a little water and stir into the ketchup. Return to simmering for another 3-4 minutes to allow the cornflour to thicken the ketchup a little. Remove from the heat and fill into warm sterilised bottles or jars to within 5 mm of the brim tapping them gently on the work surface as you fill to remove any pockets of air. Seal immediately.
