Ketchup – The Jewel of The Barbecue Set
Ketchup, A Condiment With Character
It begins with tomatoes, rich, ripe and red. A dash of vinegar, salt, pepper and spices and the result is a heavenly sweet condiment known and loved for generations. It’s ketchup. Though ketchup was the name of other types of sauces before the 1800′s, tomato ketchup’s history became popular when the cousin of Thomas Jefferson, Mary Randolph, added it to a cookbook. Tomato ketchup is as American as apple pie. By 1837, Jonas Yerkes made tomato ketchup available for nationwide distribution. And a good thing too. Ketchup partners well with hamburgers, french fries and as a finishing touch to scrambled eggs.
Ketchup And Burgers – A Match Made In Heaven
When it comes to pairing foods for gastronomical pleasures, ketchup and hamburgers are the ultimate indulgence. Where ever a barbecue is in process, there’s sure to be a bottle or two of ketchup on the picnic table. Thick and delicious, ketchup is a natural compliment to barbecued beef. Speaking of barbecued beef, ketchup is the main ingredient in most recipes for sloppy-joes, chili, meatloaf and pulled beef and pork. Ketchup adds just the right hint of sweetness to french fries. The balance of sweetness, vinegar and spices blend perfecty to create a delicate tangy flavor.
Ketchup At The Hamburger Stands
Drive-ins and hamburger stands always make accommodations for ketchup lovers. Patrons find the familiar bottles on tables or in small handy packets for takeaways. Little kids love french fries. Just not without ketchup. Maybe it’s the bright red color that attracts their taste buds. Most likely, it’s the contrast of the flavor of french fries with the flavor of ketchup that makes an order of french fries disappear so quickly.
Dress The Hamburgers – Just Don’t Forget The Ketchup
Today’s hamburgers have gotten pretty sophisticated. There’s a hamburger for nearly every taste: Pizzaburgers, chiliburgers, salsaburgers, surf and turf burgers, hulaburgers. All of them will inevitably have a dash of ketchup added for extra zip. It doesn’t matter if the hamburgers are broiled, barbecued, steamed or grilled. Ketchup is the final step to any hamburger recipe. Some hamburgers even have ketchup added to the beef before cooking. That’s how versatile ketchup can be.
Ketchup As A Cocktail Sauce
The secret to the most flavorful shrimp or seafood cocktail sauce is ketchup. With ketchup as the base ingredient, just add a squeeze of lemon juice, a teaspoonful of horseradish and a dash of hot pepper sauce. In short work, clams on the half shell and shrimp in the rough are dressed as if they were going to the Seafood Ball.
Ketchup With “Spirit”
Ketchup is often used as a marinade for steaks, chops and poultry for grilling, barbecue or broiling. All you need to make a superlative marinade is ketchup, a spritz of beer, bourbon, rum or wine to make tipsy steaks sizzle. Or, make your own homemade barbecue sauce with ketchup, a can of condensed tomato soup, a dollop of molasses and a little spicy brown mustard to taste. Then, slather your homemade barbecue sauce on your favorite meats and the scent will drive the entirer neighborhood wild with hunger.