Low Carb Ketchup

I am in no way saying that I am the most healthy person in the world. I eat what I like and I like what I eat. I'm a foodie in all senses of the word really. But over the course of time I have been watching what really truly goes into the manufacturing process of foodstuffs that we eat. Some of the fillers and all the other shit that we eat is so nasty! Furthermore there is more sugar in ketchup than there is in Ice Cream; go figure.

Ketchup is one of my nearest and dearest friends, we would go to bed on a regular basis if we could! A little background on ketchup. In the 1690s the Chinese mixed together a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it kôe-chiap or kê-chiap meaning the brine of pickled fish (carp juice) or shellfish {BLAGH!}

By the early 18th century, the table sauce had made it to present day Malaysia, where it was discovered by British explorers, and by 1740, it had become an English staple. The Malay word for the sauce was kĕchap. That word evolved into the English word "ketchup.

Many variations of ketchup were created, but the tomato-based version did not appear until about a century after other types. By 1801, a recipe for tomato ketchup was created by Sandy Addison and was later printed in an American cookbook, the Sugar House Book; which took 100 ripe tomatoes and had you squeeze by hand boil in a cauldron and bottle for a yield of 3-4 Years worth of drippy ketchup... {Too much work}

Modern ketchup emerged in the early years of the 20th century, out of a debate over the use of sodium benzoate as a preservative in condiments. Entrepreneurs including Henry J. Heinz, pursued an alternative recipe that eliminated the need for that preservative thus the evolving of modern day Ketchup. 

I was curious as to the difference between ketchup, catsup and fancy ketchup. Ketchup and Catsup are colloquial spellings only and are for the same thing, but a more scientific reason is behind the labeling of Fancy Ketchup.

Mc Donald’s {one of the best examples of good ketchup} has the label “Fancy Ketchup” This is a USDA grade, relating to specific gravity. Fancy ketchup has a higher tomato solid concentration than other USDA grades.

Grade	Specific Gravity	Total Solids
Fancy	1.15	33%
Extra Standard	1.13	29%
Standard	1.11	25%

If you’re a technical type you can read the whole thing here: "Textural Modification of Processing Tomatoes".

So to make the fancy Ketchup that I made the other day it does not require 100-Tomatoes, nor does it require Sodium Benzonate. I am sure the quality based upon USDA standards may say that this ketchup is simply Standard Ketchup. But in my mind this is pretty damn good stuff! Let's have a go...

• ‎6 oz Tomato Paste (1-small can)
• 2/3 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 C Water
• 1/3 C Splenda
• 2 Tbsp Finely Minced Onion
• 2 Cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1Tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp guar or xanth gum*
• *This is soley to make the ketchup gunk up like, well, ketchup and to extrude the water that collects if you don't use it right away. If you're not watching your carbs use some corn starch!

Put all ingredients in the blender and run until all the bits of onion have disappear. 

Refrigerate in airtight container

Yield: 1 1/2 C.

Each Tbsp = 2.25g carbs

Note: This comes from the fabulous cookbook: Dana Carpender's 500 Low Carb Recipes.

On a side note regarding this process, I first tried to do everything in the food processor, that didn't work out so well unless you have one of those gigatic Barefoot Contessa things use the blender. Furthermore it makes for a smoother prouct. I had looked online for other recpeies for ketchup and some said to heat the ketchup to combine the flavors; don't do that with this one. I think because you are using splenda when it is heated it makes the ketchup TOO SWEET! 

For storage I went to the 99-cent store and got Ketchup and mustard containers for a buck! Now that's the Frugal Fag way of life!


Check out the next blog post for the LOW CARB Tangy Honey Mustard Dressing.