Ingredients:

• 6 pounds of fresh tomatoes OR (2) 46 oz. bottles of tomato juice
• 1-1/2 cups white vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion, about a cup, cut into quarters
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed (see this video for easy peeling)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1 cup honey

Directions:

If using fresh tomatoes, process them until they are simply juice. See the videos below for instruction. If starting with juice, proceed to step one.

1. Combine all ingredients except for honey. Simmer till ketchup-thick, about 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally then more frequently as it thickens. The stirring will prevent burning.
2. Remove bay leaf.
3. Add honey and heat a while longer to return to ketchup thickness. Stir frequently to prevent burning, lowering the heat if necessary.
4. Remove from heat and puree with blender to smooth and incorporate remaining onion and garlic.

Notes:

Yields about 5 cups.

Ketchup will keep for a long time in your fridge.

Make a large batch and process them in a canner to make it shelf stable for even longer storage.

Videos:

This video also contains info for using a food mill to remove seeds and skins from tomatoes.

This short video shows you how to remove the skins from tomatoes.

For more videos visit my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/eatingSCD

Guiding principals: tangy, sweet, spicy, smokey, complex. Great on everything, but made for the ribs.

Ingredients:
(2) 46 oz cans tomato juice (only salt added) OR fresh tomatoes: see notes below
1-1/2 cup white vinegar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp sweet hungarian paprika or better yet, smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground chipoltle pepper
2 tsp salt
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
12 cloves garlic, smashed (see this video for easy peeling)
1 Tbs liquid smoke (see note below)
1-1/2 cups honey
and maybe 1 tablespoon Tabasco Hot sauce (the original red only)

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients, except for honey, liquid smoke and Tabasco in a large pot.
2. Simmer for hours and hours until very thick, stirring occasionally, more so as it thickens.
3. Add honey and simmer another 30 minutes, stirring more frequently to prevent burning.
4. Remove bay leaves.
5. Taste and add Tobasco Hot sauce if you see fit.
6. Add liquid smoke.
7. Transfer to a blender and puree well.

Yields about 3 pints

Notes:
To substitute fresh tomatoes for canned juice, use six pounds, cored and skinned. See the videos below.
The initial simmering will take 6-8 hours.
Halving the recipe will halve your simmer time.
Adding the liquid smoke in the beginning can greatly diminish it’s flavor so it’s better to add it at the end when the simmering is done.

Regarding liquid smoke: I use Wright’s Hickory or Mesquite Liquid Smoke. The labels list no illegal ingredients. I emailed the company to be sure and they confirmed the legality. Find the exchange below.

My inquiry:

I am on an extremely strict diet that does not allow me to have any forms
of refined sugars, gums or starches.

Do either your hickory or mesquite liquid smoke products contain any forms
or refined sugar, gum or starch?

Thank your for your help.

Sincerely,
Paul Stocker

Their reply:

Dear Mr. Stocker,

Wright’s Liquid Smoke is a natural product that gives foods a charcoal broiled taste.

It is made from hickory wood that is burned in an enclosed unit.
As the smoke rises it is captured in a condenser, allowing the smoke to cool.
The cooled smoke forms water droplets (condensation).
The condensation droplets are collected in a pan, filtered and placed in 55 gallon drums.  The drums are taken to the production filling location where it is filtered for a second time and transferred to the filling line.
The bottles are filled, capped and labeled.  They are then placed into shipping cases ready for distribution.

It contains no salt, carbohydrates, sugars, gum, starches, food additives, colorings or carcinogens. It is designated “natural” by the FDA.

—

Some other liquid smoke brands do contain illegals so read carefully.

Here’s an article on Slashfood about liquid smoke.

In the interest of full disclosure it should be noted that the gold standard for investigating a processed food as set forth by Elaine Gottschall is to get a physical letter from the company on official letterhead with a person’s title and signature. By this measure, my investigation fails as I conducted it by email. Given this specific product and that most communication now takes place electronically, I am personally comfortable with the validity of the email exchange. You will have to decide for yourself where your comfort lies.

If you want to omit the liquid smoke, but keep the smoke flavor, two options come to mind:

• Increase the smoked paprika
• Smoke some onions or other vegetable on your grill and use them in the sauce (Thanks to Marilyn on the BTVC-SCD group for this suggestion).

Video:
How to smash garlic.

This short video shows you how to remove the skins from tomatoes.

Making ketchup from scratch. Same method, slightly different ingredients.

For more of my videos, including higher quality versions, visit my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/eatingSCD

The spices and long cooking combine to create a tender beef with a complex flavor not too unlike a mild barbecue sauce. This is definitely a comfort food.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 lb. chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
1 lb. carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, pressed (see this video for easy peeling)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1 quart home-canned tomatoes OR two pounds fresh, cored and skinned
salt

Directions:
1. Liberally season trimmed roast with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium high heat until it shimmers.
3. Sear roast for about 8 minutes each side, or until it’s well browned.
4. Remove roast from pan and let stand.
5. Add carrots and onions to pan and sauté until browned, stirring once or twice.
6. Add water to pan to deglaze. Scrape bottom of pan to get all brownings up.
7. Add garlic, bay leaf, tarragon, oregano, parsley and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add tomato to pan and bring to a strong simmer.
9. Return roast to pan and reduce to a medium simmer.
10. Simmer covered for 3-4 hours or until meat shreds easily.
11. Spoon tomato sauce over meat each hour to keep it moist.
12. Taste sauce after 3 hours and adjust salt to suit your taste.
13. Remove bay leaf.

Freezes well.

Ingredients:
1 lb. (about 2 cups) red kidney beans
1 lb. (about 2 cups) navy beans
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup lard
1 large yellow onion, diced. Do not use sweet onions!
5 cloves garlic, crushed (see this video for easy peeling)
2 Tbs homemade chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs ground cumin

Directions:
1. Carefully sort through the dry beans to check for debris.
2. Soak beans in water for 24 hrs, changing the water about half way through. The beans will expand by a factor of about 3, so use a large bowl well filled to keep the beans submerged.
3. Rinse beans well.
4. Put beans and bay leaf in large pot and cover with water by 1-2 inches.
6. Bring to a boil then down to a strong simmer. Cook for 1 – 2 hours until the beans are tender, adding water as necessary to keep beans just covered.
7. Mash beans. A potato masher works well.
8. In a second large pot melt lard and add onions, cooking on medium heat just until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
9. Add garlic and spices to onion and cook a few minutes more to allow spices to come alive.
10. Add mashed beans to onion mixture and stir will.
11. Continue cooking beans if necessary to reduce to a thick paste. If the beans are too thick add water a little at a time. Be careful though, nobody likes runny beans.

Yield 12 cups. Freezes well.

Perhaps you’d like some tacos to go with that?

This Indian staple comes in countless formulas. It’s warm, complex and compliments many foods. My favorite use is in chicken khorma, but it also goes great on many vegetables. Also used in Bombay Beef.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsps coriander seeds
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
3/4 Tbsp black peppercorn
1-1/2 tsps black cumin seeds (cala jeera)
3/4 tsp black cardamom seed
3/4 tsp whole cloves
3/4 tsp crushed bay leaves
(1) 1 inch piece cinnamon stick or 3/8 tsp ground
1-1/2 tsps ground ginger

Instructions:

If using stick cinnamon:
1. Place all spices except for ginger in a large frying pan.
2. Roast over medium heat, stirring occasionally until spices begin to release their smells. Be careful not to burn spices as that will ruin them. Be patient.
3. Cool completely.
4. Grind to a fine powder with a coffee grinder, adding the ground ginger.
5. Store in an airtight container.

If using cinnamon powder:
1. Place all spices except for ginger and cinnamon in a large frying pan.
2. Roast over medium heat, stirring occasionally until spices begin to release their smells. Be careful not to burn spices as that will ruin them. Be patient.
3. Cool completely.
4. Grind to a fine powder with a coffee grinder, adding the powdered ginger and cinnnamon.
5. Store in an airtight container.

Yields 1/2 cup.