Title: Mushroom Ketchup
Categories: Condiment Sauce Vegetable Dip Vegetarian
Yield: 4 Cups
| 1 1/2 | lb | Mushrooms, firm & fresh |
| 1 1/2 | tb | Pickling salt |
| 1 | oz | Dried boletus mushrooms |
| 3 | c | Hot tap water |
| 2 | c | White wine vinegar |
| 3 | lg | Shallots, peeled -=OR=- |
| 1 | sm | Onion, peeled |
| 1 | | Garlic clove, peeled |
| 10 | | Whole allspice -=OR=- |
| 1/4 | ts | Ground allspice |
| 4 | | Whole cloves |
| 3 | lg | Mace blades |
| 2 | | Bay leaves |
| 1/2 | ts | Ground ginger |
| 1/2 | ts | Freshly ground pepper |
| 1/4 | c | Medium or dry sherry |
Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, or brush them clean. Avoid washing
them if possible; if it is necessary, swish them rapidly through a bowl of
water and lift and drain them promptly. Trim off any discolored stem ends
or damaged portions. Slice the mushrooms thin (a food processor fitted
with the thin-slicing disc makes short work of this task) and mix them
thoroughly with the salt in a ceramic bowl. Cover mushrooms with a cloth
and let them stand 24 hours, stirring occasionally. They will become very
dark (the finished ketchup will be approximately the color of black bean
soup). At least an hour before the end of the salting period, combine the
dried boletus mushrooms with the hot tap water; let them stand, covered,
until completely soft. Lift the soaked mushrooms from their liquid with a
slotted spoon (this is to eliminate any grit that may be in the liquid) and
place them in the container of a blender or food processor. Let soaking
liquid settle for a minute or two, then carefully pour it over the
mushrooms, stopping before any grit is poured out. Puree the soaked
mushrooms, then pour the puree into a preserving pan. Without rinsing the
blender container, puree the salted mushrooms; add this puree to that in
the pan. Place about 1/2 cup of the vinegar in the blender and add shallots
and garlic; process them to a puree. Add this puree to the mixture in the
pan, together with the rest of the vinegar, the allspice, cloves, mace, bay
leaves, ginger and pepper. Bring the mixture to boiling over medium-high
heat, lower heat, and simmer the ketchup, uncovered, stirring it often, for
1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the tiny fragments of mushroom are very soft,
almost jellylike, and the ketchup is thick. To test for correct
consistency, pour a spoonful onto a saucer and let it stand 10 minutes,
with the pot off the heat; if very little or no liquid seeps from the
solids, the ketchup has thickened enough. If it does not pass this test,
resume the cooking for as long as necessary. Press ketchup through a sieve
to remove the bay leaves and whole spices, then puree it again, in batches
if necessary, in a blender or food processor, running the machine until the
texture is velvety smooth. Return ketchup to the rinsed-out pan and bring
it to a full boil again over medium-high heat, stirring it constantly. Stir
in the sherry. Ladle the boiling-hot ketchup into hot, clean half-pint or
pint canning jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace. Seal jars with new two-piece
canning lids according to manufacturer's directions and process for 15
minutes (for either size jar) in a boiling-water bath. Cool, label and
store the jars. Let ketchup mellow for a few weeks before serving it. Keeps
for at least a year in a cool pantry.