Before I went to Christina's restaurant on Orcas Island in Washington's San Juans, more than one person told me to order something that would be served with ketchup because chef/owner Christina Orchid made her own and it was life changing. When I got there, I ignored the instruction and simply requested a taste on the side because the food I wanted to eat wasn't ketchup food. It was indeed the best thing called ketchup I had ever tasted--tangy, spicy, wonderful--with only one other rival in my experience, that which came with some bison ribs ordered at the Rain City Grill in Vancouver. Both were the kind of thing that would build a french fry craving in the worst way.
Anyway, the current thread on ketchup nudged me to googled around, and I found that Google books has her recipe book (the restaurant has since been sold) on line, and it includes the ketchup recipe. Thought I'd post, as I would be interested in making this myself some time.
It's this, and quite simple (obviously, can easily be halved):
2 cans tomato paste (16 ounces each)
2 c water
1 3/4 c aged red wine vinegar
1 Tblsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground mace
1 3/4 c brown sugar
Put the dry stuff in a pot with the tomato paste; whisk to remove any clumps. Add the liquids slowly, still whisking. Bring up to heat and simmer away on medium for about 20 minutes or until the flavors taste married. Allow to cool, pour into jars and refrigerate or use conventional canning methods for pantry storage.