![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Walnut Ketchup.
"Until the mid-nineteenth century, ketchup in American cookbooks was assumed to be either mushrooms or oysters unless otherwise specified." -Karen Hess, fud historian
What worked: I had 57 green walnuts from Trish in San Jose, so I made a straight half batch. The recipe is pretty straightforward so I am not rewriting it. I used 1/4 cup horseradish, based on a modern adaptation I found online. I used house-cured anchovies (from the curvy upstairs neighbor). The vinegar was a combination of alegar, pomgar, and white vinegar.
It turned a deep walnut (duh) brown color. The fine cheesecloth we use made straining easy and didn't produce much in the way of solids. The flavor is quite different: not too salty, definitely an umami bomb. Someone compared it to A1 sauce but with the texture of Worcestershire. I imagine you use this in soups and stews the way you would Worcestershire sauce. Someone else suggested adding lemon juice and oil to make a meat marinade.
After a couple weeks' storage, solids did precipitate out and settled on the bottom. Easily remedied with a shake before using.
What didn't: I forgot to add the pepper. I was lazy and based on said modern adaptation, didn't strain the walnuts but simmered everything together. That may have been why the final product had a very tannic back end. That may soften as it ages; we will see. (I've stored them in the oubliette and will check back around Xmas.)
Will I make it again? This made 7+ 4-oz bottles, so I have quite a bit to go through and I suspect that won't happen quickly. So probably not next year. (Annoyingly enough, this crop of green walnuts would have been perfect for pickling! Not a bit of husk or developing shell to be found in any of them. Aargh.)
I suspect that simmering is a quick-method to replace throwing everything in a jar and aging for several years (again, a la Worcestershire sauce). It would be interesting to try that, but I'd have to commit to a several-year process and I am hesitant to do that for a bunch of reasons.
"Until the mid-nineteenth century, ketchup in American cookbooks was assumed to be either mushrooms or oysters unless otherwise specified." -Karen Hess, fud historian
Ingredients--100 green walnuts, 1 quart of good vinegar, 3 ozs. of salt, 4 ozs. of anchovies, 12 finely-chopped shallots, 1/2 stick of finely-grated horseradish, 1/2 teaspoonful each of mace, nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and pepper, 1 pint of port.
Method--The walnuts must be very young and tender. Bruise them slightly, put them into a jar with the salt and vinegar, and let them remain for 8 days, stirring them daily. Drain the liquor from them into a stewpan, add to it the rest of the ingredients, simmer very gently for 40 minutes, and when cold strain the preparation into small bottles. Cork them closely, cover with melted wax, and store in a cool, dry place.
Source: Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1883), as cited in Gary Allen's Sauces Reconsidered.
What worked: I had 57 green walnuts from Trish in San Jose, so I made a straight half batch. The recipe is pretty straightforward so I am not rewriting it. I used 1/4 cup horseradish, based on a modern adaptation I found online. I used house-cured anchovies (from the curvy upstairs neighbor). The vinegar was a combination of alegar, pomgar, and white vinegar.
It turned a deep walnut (duh) brown color. The fine cheesecloth we use made straining easy and didn't produce much in the way of solids. The flavor is quite different: not too salty, definitely an umami bomb. Someone compared it to A1 sauce but with the texture of Worcestershire. I imagine you use this in soups and stews the way you would Worcestershire sauce. Someone else suggested adding lemon juice and oil to make a meat marinade.
After a couple weeks' storage, solids did precipitate out and settled on the bottom. Easily remedied with a shake before using.
What didn't: I forgot to add the pepper. I was lazy and based on said modern adaptation, didn't strain the walnuts but simmered everything together. That may have been why the final product had a very tannic back end. That may soften as it ages; we will see. (I've stored them in the oubliette and will check back around Xmas.)
Will I make it again? This made 7+ 4-oz bottles, so I have quite a bit to go through and I suspect that won't happen quickly. So probably not next year. (Annoyingly enough, this crop of green walnuts would have been perfect for pickling! Not a bit of husk or developing shell to be found in any of them. Aargh.)
I suspect that simmering is a quick-method to replace throwing everything in a jar and aging for several years (again, a la Worcestershire sauce). It would be interesting to try that, but I'd have to commit to a several-year process and I am hesitant to do that for a bunch of reasons.
