Jennifer Rose Haers

Banana Ketchup

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup chopped sweet onions
  • 2 large garlic cloves, quartered
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 4 large overripe bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 1-1/3 cup cider vinegar, divided use
  • 3 to 4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper or to taste
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 tbsp dark rum

Preparation:

  1. Place the raisins, onions, garlic, tomato paste, bananas, and 2/3 cup vinegar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
  2. Process until smooth and pour into a large, heavy saucepan.
  3. To the banana mixture in the saucepan, add remaining 2/3 cup vinegar, 3 cups water, brown sugar, salt, and ground chipotle chile pepper. Stir to combine.
  4. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring the ketchup occasionally, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the ketchup gets too thick and begins to stick, add some of the remaining water (up to 1 cup).
  5. Add corn syrup, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. # Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for another 15 minutes or until it is thick enough to coat a metal spoon. # Stir in the rum and remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  6. Push ketchup through a fine strainer, mashing the solids with the back of a spoon.
  7. Let cool to room temperature, pour into glass bottles, cover, and refrigerate.

Use within 1 month. Banana ketchup is especially good as a condiment with pork and poultry.