Thick Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients

• Tomatoes — 4 kg
• Onion — 400 g
• Bell pepper — 300 g
• Garlic (head) — 1 pcs
• Salt — 3 tbsp
• Sugar — 250 g
• Cinnamon — 0.5 tsp
• Cloves — 4 pcs
• Red hot pepper (ground) — 0.5 tsp
• Barbecue seasoning — 1 tsp
• Vinegar 9% — 150 ml

Steps

1. Wash the fleshy tomatoes, cut out the stem end, and slice each into 2–4 pieces; transfer to a thick-bottomed pot.
2. Add coarsely chopped onion and sliced bell pepper to the tomatoes, add salt and a whole head of garlic; mix well.
3. Place the pot over heat, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for approximately 3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
4. After simmering, blend the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
5. Pass the blended tomato mixture through a sieve to separate the skins and seeds; discard the solids in the sieve or use as desired.
6. Pour the strained sauce back into the pot, add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ground red pepper, and barbecue seasoning; mix and bring to a boil.
7. Cook the sauce over medium heat, uncovered, for another 30 minutes to thicken it and allow excess liquid to evaporate.
8. Add 150 ml of 9% vinegar, mix well, and cook for another 10 minutes.
9. Pour the hot ketchup into sterilized jars, seal tightly with sterilized lids, and close in the usual way; after cooling, store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place.