Grape Catchup?

Grape Catchup? What comes to mind with these two words together... probably nothing good. The first thing that came to mind when I saw those two words, was this horrible creation from Heinz...

I know it's just food coloring and stuff, they make a green and blue color as well, but it just seems so nasty. Tomatoes are red (mostly), tomato ketchup should also be red.

I came across a recipe for something called Grape Catchup... it's currently boiling on the stove as I write this. It was listed in the recipe section on this blog.

http://www.foodinjars.com/2009/05/grape-catchup/

I agree with the original posting, i find it strangely appealing. Especially at the prospect of making pulled pork with something like this. So when I found myself near the grocery store today, I picked up a bunch of grapes, some ground cloves, and apple cider vinegar, cracked open a beer and got to work.

The recipe is thus...

Grape Catchup
adapted from The New York Times Heritage Cookbook, by Jean Hewitt

6 cups of red grapes*
4 cups apple cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons cloves

In a large pot, combine the grapes, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the temperature so that it’s at a bare simmer and let cook for 30 minutes. When the cooking time has elapsed, check on the grapes and if there are some that have not broken down, smash them against the side of pot with a wooden spoon.

Add the spices and cook for another ten minutes. The mixture will be a dark purple color and syrupy.

Ladle the catchup into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Store in a dark, cool place.

Makes four pints.

If you ever make this, and don't want to seed a million grapes, go with seedless grapes...

Hello Jacqueline!

6 Cups of Grapes

Add vinegar and sugar and boil

Add spices, boil some more...

pour into jars and process.. 

I must say, it's didn't taste like what I was expecting, but it's pretty darn good. I think it will work pretty well with the pulled pork, and we'll be trying this at the first opportunity. 

An update on the cherry jalapeno jam... I didn't "fix" it yet, i haven't been over to Wegman's to pick up any pectin lately, the A&P nearby recently closed, and they had a great selection of canning supplies. Shoprite has nothing, so it's inconvenient to go get the various jars, pectin, or other supplies now. I did however; use one of  the jars as a marinade for some pork loin, which as expected yielded pretty tasty result.