THE MENU CATSUP IMPROV

I am just going to touch on a lighter note, after things like road kill cannibalism, things like that....

 

Everybody likes catsup on something. Almost all of it is now put in plastic bottles, and made with high fructose corn syrup...

 

What I am going to suggest is that if you like catsup, and like good catsup, and like a lot of it, it is easy to make your own, and keep it in a glass jar in the fridge for a little while.

 

So, what is a so called catsup recipe? Guess what? You don't really need one!

 

There are countless versions. Read a few label in the grocery to get the idea, or go online. Not really much to it, but the key is to make one you like, and then to refine it, over time, so you like it better. I suggest using tomato paste, add water or some other liquid, vinegar of some kind (some of the leftover pickle juices I have discussed would be a nice touch, in moderation), or kinds, and maybe just dry seasonings. This will lengthen its useful life, kept in the fridge. Put no meat ingredients in it. I am not an advocate of sugar or other sweeteners like say honey, or syrup, in catsup, but suit yourself.  I am not against adding a little prepared steak sauce to catsup, like say certain brands of Worcestershire sauce, Lea & Perrins, but if you get too carried away with additives, other condiments, or too many spices, you get something more like barbecue sauce than catsup.

Then also you can use this catsup as an ingredient to make say thousand island,  Catalina, or casino salad dressing. Shrimp cocktail sauce with horseradish! 

It could also then serve as a base for a more complex barbecue sauce.

An Indian barbecue sauce, or marinade, or both, using in part a home made catsup, would be especially desirable.