Tomato catchup.—The receipts for making this favorite catchup are innumerable, and should we take those of every packer and housewife in the land and put them together they would make a good-sized volume. We must therefore limit ourselves to giving a few approved receipts.
The proper way to make a good sweet article is to place each day in vats or hogsheads the skins, etc., of the day. These will by the next morning have become slightly fermented, and the skin and pulp can be readily separated by rubbing them either with a steam rubber or by hand in a fine copper sieve. In this manner all seeds, etc. are removed, and the pure, sweet juice of the tomato alone remains. Take this, and, having your kettles perfectly clean, place it in them and bring it slowly to a boil, carefully skimming off the scum that will rise to the top. When it has cooked down about one-half put in your cloves and allspice, which should be in bags, and let them remain boiling with the rest. Shortly afterwards put in your other spices, salt, pepper, etc.; a small dash of ground cinnamon will add much to the flavor, although the person making it must be guided by his taste. From a third to half as much vinegar as there is juice should be put in when it is about half cooked, and the mustard must be thoroughly mixed with vinegar before being put in. Let all now boil until it gets thoroughly done, and if too thick, thin it while hot with vinegar and bottle or barrel as desired. There can be no receipt given that will suit all in regard to the amount of the different condiments to be used, as each person has ideas of his own, but all catchup should be made "hotter than desired, as it will undoubtedly lose some of its strength when it becomes cold. The best of spices and vinegar should always be used, and every vessel into which it is put should be perfectly clean and free from any mold or dust. Seal the bottles carefully, and if you have them thoroughly air-tight it will like wine improve with age.
The following receipts can be recommended :—
I. Take 15 quarts of thoroughly ripe tomatoes, 4 tablespoonfuls each of black pepper, salt, and allspice, 8 red peppers, and 3 teaspoon fills of mustard. The pepper and allspice must be ground fine and the whole boiled slowly 3 to 4 hours; then pass all through a fine sieve and when cold put it in bottles, which must be immediately sealed.
II. Boil 4 quarts of tomatoes together with 2 quarts of vinegar, 2 tablespoonfuls of red pepper, 4 tablespoonfuls of black pepper, 1 tablespoonful of cloves, 1 teaspoonful of salt, and 1 ground nutmeg to a thick paste. Strain through a coarse-meshed sieve and sweeten the sauce obtained with 1/2 lb. of sugar. Fill in bottles and shake once every day for a week.
III. Cut up perfectly ripe tomatoes and place them upon the fire until they commence to bubble. Then take them from the fire, and when cool rub them with the hand through a hair-sieve and season according to the following proportions : For each quart of sauce add 1 teaspoonful of ground allspice, 1 teaspoonful of ground cloves, 1 tablespoonful of salt, and 1 quart of wine-vinegar. Stir the whole thoroughly together, replace it upon the fire, and boil for one hour, with constant stirring. When cool put the catchup in bottles and seal immediately.
Spiced Vinegars for Pickles
The spiced vinegar is prepared as follows :—
To 1 quart of vinegar add 2 1/2 ounces of salt, 1/2 ounce of black pepper, and 2 1/2 ounces of ginger. Let the mixture boil up once or twice in an enameled iron pot, filter through a flannel cloth, and pour the liquid, hot or cold, over the fruits.
For a more strongly spiced vinegar reduce in a mortar 2 ounces of black pepper, 1 ounce of ginger, and 1/2 drachm of cayenne pepper, and for walnuts, 1 ounce of eschalots, and add to the mixture in a stoneware pot 1 pint of vinegar, and tie up the pot with a bladder. Place the pot for three days near the fire, shaking it
several times, and then pour the contents upon the fruits by allowing it to run through a filtering cloth.
1 drachm = 0.75000507301355 tsp
eschalots are shallots
