Catchup To Last 20 years

Catchup to last 20 years

This recipe is from Hannah Glasse’s book, “Cooking Made Plain and Easy, ” first published in 1745. Even the modern interpretation of the recipe requires a lot of labor and time, however it is included in this recipe collection for curious cooks who may want to experiment with authentic 18th century sauces. It is flavorful and every bit worth the time and expense of ingredients, although it is not for everyone.

 

For CAPTAINS of SHIPS.

(Many of the Receipts in the Chapter are very useful in Families.)

To make Catchup to keep twenty Years.

Take a gallon of strong stale beer, one pound of anchovies washed from the pickle, a pound of shalots peeled, half an ounce of mace, half an ounce of cloves, a quarter of an ounce of whole pepper, three or four large races of ginger, two quarts of the large mushroom-flaps rubbed to pieces; cover all this close, and let it simmer till it is half wasted, then strain it through a flannel bag; let it stand till it is quite cold, then bottle it. You may carry it to the Indies. A spoonful of this to a pound of fresh butter melted makes a fine fish-sauce, or in the room of gravy sauce. The stronger and staler the beer is, the better the catchup will be.

 

1 gallon strong, stale beer, such as Thomas Jefferson Ale

1 pound anchovies, patted dry

1 pound shallots, hand chopped course

½ ounce ground mace

½ ounce whole cloves

¼ ounce white pepper, cracked

3 large fresh ginger roots, rough diced with skin on

2 quarts button mushrooms, hand broken

 

  1. Put all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a simmer. Covere and let it continue simmering until it reduces by half. Then remove from the fire and strain it through a cheese cloth.
  2. Let it cool until cold, then it is ready for use or for canning.
  3. 1 spoonful of this sauce stirred into 1 pound of fresh butter makes a nice sauce for fish.

 

Chef’s Note: It is imperative to put the sauce in a sterile jar or container or it will spoil. Please use the proper canning procedure to keep the sauce.