Ketchup with plums - for the winter

1. Prepare the products according to the list. From the specified amount, I got 5 jars of 200 ml, one jar of 170 ml and even about 50 ml left for testing.

The type of tomatoes and plums is not so important, the main thing is that they are ripe.

Instead of parsley, you can take dill, cilantro or basil. I got a pretty hot sauce, so if you prefer moderate spiciness, adjust the amount of chili pepper at your discretion.

2. First, peel the tomatoes - this is not difficult at all. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and make a shallow cross-shaped cut on each. Place the tomatoes in a deep bowl. Bring about 2-3 liters of water to a boil using any convenient method.

3. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and leave for about 60 seconds.

4. Then drain the hot water and pour cold water over the tomatoes. Peel the tomatoes - the temperature difference will allow you to do this without any problems.

5. Cut the peeled tomatoes into random pieces and chop them in a blender or mince them.

6. You will get thick tomato juice with seeds.

7. To remove the seeds from the tomato juice, rub it through a sieve. The sieve should not be too fine so that all the pulp passes through the holes, and the seeds remain in the sieve.

8. Peel the onion. Cut the chili pepper in half and remove the seeds. Wash and dry the parsley. Cut the onion and pepper into random pieces. Chop the parsley with a knife.

9. Chop the onion, pepper and parsley in a blender bowl or mince them. Pour the resulting mixture into the cauldron with tomato juice.

10. Wash and dry the plums. Cut each plum in half and remove the pit. Grind the plum halves using a blender or meat grinder.

11. Pour the plum puree into the cauldron with tomato juice. Mix the contents of the cauldron, set it to maximum heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to just below medium and, stirring occasionally, simmer for about 1-1.5 hours.

12. After 1.5 hours, the tomato-plum mixture will have noticeably boiled down and changed color.

13. Peel the garlic, rinse and finely chop with a knife or pass it through a press. Add the garlic to the cauldron. Pour in sugar, salt and pepper. Stir.

Bring the mixture to a boil again and, stirring occasionally, simmer the ketchup over a heat just below medium for about 1-1.5 hours, until the desired thickness. Be sure to stir occasionally, as all the thick stuff will sink to the bottom and can burn. 14. After 1.5 hours, the mixture will have boiled down well and will become even more saturated in color. Since my blender is weak and the ingredients were not ground to a paste, there were small lumps left in the ketchup.

15. To make the ketchup texture perfectly smooth, I blended it with an immersion blender.

16. Pour in the apple cider vinegar. Stir and bring the ketchup to a boil again. Stirring occasionally, cook the ketchup over a slightly lower than medium heat for about 15 more minutes.

17. Sterilize the jars and lids. I prefer to sterilize the jars in a saucepan on the stove.

. First, wash the jars and lids well with a small amount of soda.

18. Rinse the jars and lids under running water. Fill a large saucepan with water about a third of the way. Place clean lids on the bottom.

19. Place a rack on top. I have a special rack with legs that fits completely into the pan, but you can replace it with a regular oven rack and place it on the pan. Place the jars on the rack with the bottoms up. Put the pan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Sterilize the jars for about 10-15 minutes.

20. Carefully remove the sterilized jars and place them on a clean towel with the necks down. Remove the lids from the boiling water and also place them on the towel.

21. Pour the ketchup with plums into the sterilized jars. In total, I got 5 small jars with a capacity of 200 g and one jar with a capacity of 170 g. There was also about 50 g of ketchup left for testing.

22. Screw on the jars with ketchup with sterilized lids. Turn the jars over and check if the lids are leaking. Wrap the jars in a warm blanket or thick towel and leave until completely cool.

23. Canned ketchup with plums is ready.

24. You can store it in a dark and dry place - a pantry or cellar are perfect for this.

25. Enjoy your delicious preparations!