And best wishes to Dr. Permutter and all of you for the holidays.
I have already written a post on Dr. @David Perlmutter ‘s book, Brain Maker. The premise of the book is that if your gut microbiome is healthy, so should you be. I have to say that following the precepts of the book are working well for me and my MS.
However one phrase brought me into sharp disagreement. It said “forget ketchup.”
No.
I won’t.
It’s rare that I don’t tweak and fiddle with recipes to suit my low-carb, gluten free lifestyle. However, once in a while I have to stand back and acknowledge perfection. Perfection, in this case comes from Erin VanderLugt’s recipe for ketchup via Wardee Harmon (@TradCookSchool) at GNOWFGLINS.
I started making this ketchup five years ago and have never looked back. I gave some to my mother for Christmas several years ago and she was like . . . “ketchup.” You’re giving us . . . “ketchup.”
“Oh, just try it,” I said.
The ketchup went back to the farm with here and sat in the fridge for a bit. Then she tried it. Within an hour she was on the phone asking “HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT KETCHUP?!!!”
Here is a link to the original post.
I make the ketchup exactly like that (maple syrup version), every single time. It takes about 5-7 days to get to the level of fermentation (tang) I like. Don’t worry about the natural sugars; the fermentation eats most of them.
So here’s how I prepare to make the ketchup:
First, it takes a bit of forethought. You need to make whey, or get some out of the freezer. Here’s me straining some high-quality yogurt with good bugs for whey. (Store the extra in the right quantities in small jars in the freezer. It will stay viable for three months. It’s likely you’ll be making more ketchup soon — and you can use the whey for other yummy fermented foods.)
Use good organic tomato paste from BPA-free cans. Muir Glen (@muirglen) cans are now BPA-free, and have been since 2012. However, make sure the inside of the can is a golden metallic color, not white. If you get some old stock that’s been hanging around, you might still find a BPA can with the white lining. Fortunately, that should be increasingly rare as time goes by. I buy tomato paste by the case, mostly because of this ketchup.I haven’t seen a white lining in several years.
I stay on the lower end of the quantity of maple syrup. I like a tangy, not overly sweet, ketchup. Like I said, the fermentation needs the sugar to fuel its magic. If you’ve been eating low sugar for a while, tomato paste alone tastes like candy. Fermented tomato paste tastes like umami on steroids.In fact, before this recipe, I didn’t like ketchup at all; even as a kid, I preferred mustard for the foods that usually are used by children as a vehicle for carrying ketchup to their mouths.
Your finger is an appropriate vehicle for this ketchup. Give it a chance.
crossgrained 