[Sca-cooks] Mushroom Ketchup - OOP Long

[Michael Gunter]

It's rather complicated:
 
For about 3 1/2 cups of sauce
 
2 lbs, 10 oz sliced mushrooms
2 Tblsp Kosher or sea salt
3 oz dried mushrooms
4 shallots
a head of garlic
Olive Oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup port wine
2 Tblsp sugar
3 bay leaves
8 cloves
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
Splash of Soy Sauce
 
Mix fresh mushrooms with salt in a large bowl. Cover with cloth and leave for 24 hours
in a cool place (not the fridge). 
The next day soak the dried mushrooms for half an hour in enough boiling water to cover them.
Meanwhile roast unpeeled shallots with garlic with a dash of olive oil in 400 F oven for half an hour.
Cool and peel.
Remove the rehydrated mushrooms with a slotted spoon and place them in a lage pot. Add the soaking
liquid through a fine mesh sieve to get out any grit.
Add the remaining ingredients, along with the fresh salted mushroms to the pot.
Bring to a boil and simmer for half an hour. 
Let the contents cool in the pot then return them to a boil and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Pass the mixture through a food mill or puree in a blender. Pour into a clean pan and bring to 
another boil. Reduce to about three and a half cups. 
 
Put the ketchup into sterilized bottles or jars.
 
Leave the ketchup in a cool place to mature for at least 48 hours. It will have a shelf life of at least
six months and taste better as time goes by.
 
From: Preserved by Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton. Published by Kyle Books.
 
Gunthar