Almost Homemade Ketchup with a Kick

Tango Cafe in Honolulu is one of my favorite places to eat breakfast in Honolulu. When we are there for work, we wait in line outside at 7 am for their coffee and eggs benedict. My favorite is a half half - half gravlax benedict and half florentine or crab hash benedict. Really great restaurants have great food, true, but a really really great restaurant knows how to do those little off the menu things like make sure that every refill of coffee is unasked for and fresh. But the real key is their ketchup. When it comes to the table and you're sitting with Tango newbies, don't say anything. Just nonchalantly move it toward you. It comes in a little dish, not really red and kind of thick and grainy in texture, but this stuff is so good you will want to lick the dish. 

We asked them how to make it and all they said was it's tomatoes cooked down, carmelized onions, some cumin.

This is my first attempt. I didn't cook down tomatoes. I just used bought ketchup I had, carmelized some onions and added some kick. The Tango version is not spicy, but this one has a bit of a kick. 

Directions:

1 T canola oil

1 medium onion, sliced thin

In a heavy bottom saucepan, slowly cook the onions with oil until they are brown and super soft (I stood over the stove for about half an hour which is long for me). 

While it cooks, put together -

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

dash of ground cinnamon

dash of ground nutmeg

black pepper

When the onions are carmelized, not burned, add 1 Tablespoon of cider vinegar, stir it around to scrape some of the crusty bits from the pan then add the ketchup mix. Cook it gently for about 5 minutes to meld the flavors, then take it off the heat. When it cools down a little, put it in the Vitamix, blend to the consistency you want and enjoy. 

I'm pre-prepping for the Father's day sliders, so ketchup done.