Mushroom Ketchup (For flavouring stews and soups)

[Olga Drozd]

Mushroom Ketchup

This is an adaptation of an 18th-century recipe recorded in The Country Housewife and Lady's Director by Richard Bradley, who was the first professor of botany at Cambridge University. This makes a flavourful ketchup, but it is important to use only flat, fully matured mushrooms.

4 pounds large flat-cap mushrooms (2 kg)
1 cup dried cepes (optional)
3/4 cup salt
5 shallots, unpeeled, quartered
2 inch piece dried ginger root, bruised
1/2 cup port
1 Tbsp. cloves
2 tsp. crumbled mace blades

Put the fresh mushrooms in the food processor and coarsely chop. Arrange in thin layers with the dried cepes, if using, in the casserole, sprinkling each layer with some of the salt. Cover and let stand for 24 hours.

Bake in an oven preheated to 275 F. (140 C) for 3 hours. Cool and strain through the jelly bag, squeezing to extract all the liquid. Pour into a noncorrosive saucepan with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes, or until reduced by a third.

Strain the mixture again through the jelly bag, squeezing to extract all the liquid, return to the cleaned pan, and bring back to a boil. Pour the ketchup into the hot, sterilized bottles, then seal. Heat process, cool, and check the seals. The ketchup will be ready to use in 1 month, but improves with age.

Degree of difficulty: Moderate
Cooking time 3 1/2 to 4 hours
Special equipment: Food processor, casserole; sterilized jelly bag; sterilized canning bottles with sealants.
Yield: About 1 1/2 pints
Shelf life: 2 years, heat processed
Serving suggestions: Use in small amounts to flavour soups and stews

Preserving