Beetroot Ketchup

Quite simply ‘the’ condiment

A ketchup has long been my favourite, from way back when my Granddad called it the leveller. Essentially a pureed chutney, ketchups can take any flavour profile to fit any tastes, and they are the perfect way to deal with those vegetables you just don’t know what to do with… or have run out of fresh ideas for. 
Beetroot ketchup is a long time favourite of mine, but as January fades so to does the beetroot. The end of the season sees an almost fibrous texture that, while fantastic for roasting, can be a little challenging to cook with. The flavour deepens taking on an earthy sweetness, almost like the smell of wet soil. While not easy to make into a main meal, these qualities are delicious in a ketchup. 
Versatility is the superpower of a ketchup. Spicy, sweet, tangy, smoky, sharp… you make that call and tweak the recipe accordingly. Add some depth by coal roasting the beetroot over charcoal, bring some floral tang by adding rhubarb or apple, almost anything will work. This is a fabulous condiment to bring into Spring and all that delicious produce that is beginning to show on the horizon.

Makes 4 jam jars
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
A very generous puddle of rapeseed oil
3 large beetroot (650g +/-)
1 onion
2/3 sticks of celery
1 generous teaspoon of sea salt flakes
Generous amount of fresh ground black pepper
3 star anise petals
4 green cardamom
A small pinch of fennel seeds
A pinch of mace
150g apple cider vinegar
150g demerara sugar

1. Spices are the unsung hero of any ketchup, just enough to know they are there but not discernible, noticeable only by their absence. Crush the spices with any tools you have, removed the green cardamom pods and add everything into a medium saucepan. 
2. Add the oil and gently warm the spices until they release their fragrance. 
3. Scrub the whole beetroot clean and remove the scraggy tops, then simply dice, peel, root and all. Dice the onion and celery then add them, and all the other ingredients, to the pan with the spices. 
4. Bring to a gently simmer, put a lid on and turn down to the lowest heat. Leave the pan to slowly bubble away for at least 45 minutes, perhaps up to an hour, with the lid on to keep the steam in.
5. Remove from the heat, briefly cool and liquidise. Sieve and ad to sterilised jars.
6. The ketchup will last for 3 months in a cupboard out of direct sunlight and with a stable temperature. Once opened store in a fridge.

Serve with everything… even chips!

Chef Notes:
1. Changing the sugar will slightly alter the flavour and feel. Soft brown with bring smoky caramel notes, while demerara a toffee quality and caster gives a clan sweetness.
2. The vinegar also has an impact. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, malt vinegar, all of them are delicious. Experiment with pairings of sugars with vinegars to enhance certain qualities.
3. The spices really can be anything or nothing. Try to stick with 3 to begin with so as not to overpower each other. 
4. The ratio of sugar to vinegar is moveable to suit your taste. The ratio here is neutral, but moving the quantities up or down by 25-50g makes quite a difference.

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer