¼teaspoonwhole allspiceapproximately 5-8 depending on size
Special Tools Needed
Mesh strainer
Cheeseclothor medical gauze – yes, it works
Kitchen twineor white ribbon – yes again
Instructions
Wrap bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, red pepper flakes and celery seeds in a double layer of cheesecloth or a triple layer of medical gauze. Tie into a bundle. (At this point, I had a lot of extra material, so I trimmed the extra off of the bundle.) Set aside.
Place tomatoes, onions, chili, garlic, vinegar, salt and brown sugar in a 4 quart saucepan. Add the spice bundle and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently while cooking, until onions and chlie are very soft, approximately 45 minutes.
Remove the spice bundle and carefully puree the sauce in a blender or use an immersion blender in the hot pot. Puree the sauce until smooth. Strain the sauce through a medium size sieve. (This meant pressing the sauce through a metal sieve, using the back of a spatula. It takes me about 10 minutes to do this.) Place strained sauce back in a clean 4 quart pot and return to medium low heat.
Cook over medium low, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the finished ketchup to a glass jar and set aside to cool. Cover with lid and refrigerate. Enjoy!