Compound Tomato Sauce (lacto-fermented ketchup)
Also see updated recipe here
Adapted from a recipe in The First African-American Cookbook from 1881 using a method described by Sally Fallon, this is a rich, thick fermented (rather than cooked) ketchup. I left out the high fructose corn syrup, in case you feel like calling the food police..
1 1/2 cups organic tomato paste (or make your own)
1/8 cup whey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (optional)
1/8 cup fermented fish sauce OR 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Grind dry ingredients together in a spice grinder or mortar. Add to the rest of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and stir well to combine.
Add filtered water, if necessary, to achieve the thickness that you prefer.
Transfer ketchup to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and allow to sit at room temperature for 48-72 hours before transferring to refrigerator for long-term storage.
(Actually) Crispy Sweet Potato Fries. Mostly.
You might also like these Rosemary & Black Pepper Sweet Potato Fries..
“There’s probably no vegetable with a higher beta carotene content than the sweet potato. This is the beta carotene that protects us against cancer, colds, infections and other diseases… But remember that our bodies can only convert carotene to vitamin A in the presence of bile salts… Butter stimulates the secretion of bile and helps the body to convert carotenes to all-important vitamin A…” Sally Fallon
Trouble is, butter has a low smoke point of about 350 degrees. Clarified butter (or ghee) on the other hand, has a very high smoke point of up to 485 degrees.
No mushy oven fries here, gang..
Adapted from a recipe by Mollie Katzen
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/4″ sticks and arrange on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon melted ghee or clarified butter. Just put the butter on the pan- don’t coat the potatoes with it.
Place into a preheated 385 degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn potatoes over and cook another 10 minutes.
Turn oven off and let stand 20 minutes to dry. Season with sea salt and serve with homemade ketchup and enjoy all the iron, potassium, niacin, magnesium and vitamins C and B6. And fiber. Lots of fiber.
