This catsup will become a kitchen staple when you see how much punch and flavor it adds to soups, sauces, fish, poultry and meat.

Oven-Roasted Tomato Catsup
Yield: about 4 cups
4 C oven roasted tomatoes
¼ C balsamic vinegar
¼ C light brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste

Place all the ingredients except the salt and pepper and hot sauce in a non-reactive 1-quart saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the bay leaf. If you like smooth catsup puree the mixture in a food processor until desired consistency, or run it through a food mill to achieve a mixture with slightly more body. Another option is to leave it as is to make chunky catsup by simply mashing it briefly with a potato masher. You can store the catsup in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for several weeks. It also freezes beautifully in a tightly sealed container or freezer-strength re-closeable plastic bag. Yield: about 4 cups.

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