Plum Ketchup
Ingredients
3.6 kg Plums
225 gm Currants
450 gm Onions
450 gm Demerara sugar
2 Garlic cloves
1� l Vinegar (any)
3 Chilli
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Black pepper
1 Tbsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Ground ginger
1 tsp Allspice
Method
Place the spices in a muslin bag. Stone and halve the plums. Finely chop the onions, garlic and chillies. Put the plums, onions, garlic, chilli and currants into a preserving pan with 1 pint of vinegar. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is soft. Remove the bag of spices. Put the plum mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Sieve the mixture if necessary.
Rinse out the preserving pan, then return the puree to the pan with the bag of spices. Add the sugar and the remaining 1 pint of vinegar and bring to simmering point. Cook gently uncovered for about 2 hours until the ketchup has reduced to about 2 litres. Stir now and then to prevent sticking.
Prepare the bottles and their tops by boiling them in water. Pour the ketchup into the bottles while still hot. Put the tops on immediately but screw them only half-way. Next place the bottles in a pan standing on an upside down plate and add warm water to within 2 inches from the top of the bottles. Bring the water to the boil and after 10 minutes, transfer the bottles to a wooden surface and complete the sealing.
Acknowledgements
Delia Smith
24 Sep 2023
Shirl Seath