Sweet and Tart Cherry Ketchup
Ingredients
- 2 pound sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
- 1 cup red wine vinegar of at least 5% acidity
- 2 T sweet red wine or grape juice
- 1/2 pound brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground mace
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 1 dried chile pod
- 1/2 tsp green peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp whole allspice
- 1 nutmeg, cracked (tap carefully with a small hammer)
Instructions
Combine in a large pot the cherries, vinegar, wine, sugar, salt, and mace. Tie the remaining ingredients in several layers of cheesecloth; add this to the pot, and cover it. Bring the mixture to a boil over hight heat, then reduce the heat and simmer util the cherries soften--10 to 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to a fine sieve and push them through, or to a food processor or blender and puree them. Return the pureed cherries to the pot with the cooking liquid and tied spices. Continue simmering until ketchup thickens--about 1 hour. Remove spices. Ladle the ketchup into three sterilized, still-hot half-pint jars. Wipe rims and cap immediately with still-hot lids, plus rings, and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes 3 cups.