Spiced Ketchup

Step 1

Bring a pan full of water (about half the volume) over high heat. In the meantime, wash the tomatoes. With a knife, cut an x at the base of each tomato. Prepare a bowl of water and ice. When the water in the pan starts to boil, add the tomatoes and cook until the skin starts to melt. With a perforated spoon, remove and transfer the tomatoes to the bowl with ice - the thermal shock makes the skin peel off more easily. From the X cut, extract the skin and discard it. Repeat with all the tomatoes.

Step 2

On a cutting board, divide the tomatoes in half, discard the seeds and cut them into cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash and slice the celery stalk and discard the leaves.

Step 3

Bring the pan over medium heat. When heated, season with olive oil and brown the onion for about 3 minutes, until it becomes golden brown. Add the garlic and celery and fry for another minute. Mix the coriander powder, the fennel seeds, the ginger powder, the cloves powder, the salt and the pepper.

Step 4

Add the chopped tomatoes and the cans of peeled tomatoes. Sprinkle with water and mix. When it boils, let it cook for about 20 minutes, until it is halved.

Step 5

Turn off the heat and transfer the sauce to the blender. Beat until it becomes smooth, pressing the lid firmly with a cloth - this prevents steam from pushing and opening the lid.

Step 6

Return the sauce to the pan, add the sugar and vinegar and bring over medium heat. When it boils, lower the heat and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens - remember that when it cools, the sauce will thicken more.

Step 7

Transfer to sterilized hermetically sealed containers and allow to cool to room temperature. When cold, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.