Banana Ketchup!!

That's right! You can make ketchup out of bananas!

Right now, in my tiny back yard, my dwarf banana is blooming for the very first time. This plant was a gift from my mother's neighbor Annamarie who has since passed away. She was a plant expert and a nature lover. She warned me that my banana would only produce fruit if I put it in the ground. She had many banana plants in pots, but they never flowered. My husband was dead set against putting this banana in the ground for reasons unknown, so it took me quite a while to convince him. Once it finally made its way into the soil, my beautiful banana plant became happy and healthy and soon flowered! I am beyond excited!  

My mom also has a dwarf banana plant which is currently a little further along in banana production. Since she's not a huge fan of bananas, she gave me her entire crop last summer, which had to have been more than 50 bananas, all of which ripened on the same exact day. I am now using up the final bananas that have been in my freezer for a year or so...

Hence my joy when I recently discovered this recipe for banana ketchup on the Serious Eats website. I adjusted the recipe slightly, eliminating the rum and reducing the honey as my bananas are very sweet.

Banana ketchup is simple to make, takes less than an hour from start to finish, and mostly includes ingredients you probably have in your household at this moment. My version tastes fairly sweet, slightly tangy, and a little bit spicy. You could tweak the recipe to reduce the sweetness by eliminating the honey, increase the tanginess by upping the vinegar, and play up the spiciness by increasing the ginger, jalapeño, or other spices! In other words, make it your own.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion (about 1 small onion)

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño (about 1 small jalapeño)

• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  1 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste


In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the pepper, garlic, and spices. Stir for a few minutes until fragrant. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend thoroughly to create a smooth paste. Let cool slightly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Store in glass jars in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 pint.