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When you think of ketchup you probably bring to mind the thick red tomato stuff, but mushroom ketchup is older than that. It's easy to make and packed with umami.
About the Mushrooms
You can use any type or combination of mushrroms you like but the porcini are pretty essential
Prep the Vegetables
Peel and finely chop the onion. Remove any dirt from the mushrooms and finely chop them. Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling water for at least five minutes.
Cook the Vegetables
Start by gently heating some oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onions, stir to get them coated all over in oil, then turn the heat down as low as it will go, put a lid on and let them sweat for 5-10 minutes. Now add the chopped mushrooms along with more oil if necessary. Let them cook for a few minutes with the lid on, then take it off. You'll see liquid pooling in the bottom of the pan. We need to get rid of this, so turn up the heat a little and let it evaporate. When it's gone, strain the porcini mushrooms but keep the water they were soaked in. Add them to the pan along with all the other ingredients. Stir well and cook for a few more minutes.
Blend the Ketchup
Transfer everything to a blender and whizz it until smooth. Taste the ketchup and add more vinegar or sugar to get a balance that pleases you. If the ketchup is too thick add some of the porcini water, if it's too runny return it to the pan and heat it to reduce it somewhat.
250 grams large flat (portobello) mushrooms 250 grams chestnut mushrooms 20 grams dried porcini mushrooms 100 ml boiling water 1 medium onion 60 ml malt vinegar 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp Henderson's Relish or Worcester sauce 1 juice of lemon salt and ground black pepper to taste half a tsp nutmeg half a tsp mace
Makes 1 -2 cups Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.