With salsa overtaking ketchup in sales volume in 1992, it made sense that the ketchup makers would fight back. There are several dozen brands of hot and spicy ketchup on the market these days, and more to come. This recipe will keep indefinitely.

Ingredients

6 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 small purple onion, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian parsley
1 1/2 cups malt vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of white pepper
1/2 teaspoon habanero powder (or more to taste)
1 cinnamon stick, halved
1/2 whole nutmeg, tapped carefully with a hammer to split
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Instructions

Place the tomatoes, onion, and parsley in a 4 to 5 quart heavy pot. Bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Press the tomato mixture through a fine sieve, pressing hard on the solids with the back of a broad wooden spoon to release the puree. Return the puree to the pot and discard the solids.

Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, white pepper, and the powdered habanero chile to the puree. Tie the remaining ingredients in several layers of cheesecloth, and add them to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours, uncovered. As it cooks, periodically remove the froth that rises and stir down the sides. When the mixture is very thick, remove the tied spices.

Ladle the ketchup into a jar. Allow it to cool, and refrigerate. It keeps indefinitely.

An unusual chili that could also be termed a stew. This is not for beginning chileheads but for the serious aficionado. The name was inspired by the pantywaist heat scales of most other chilis.

W.C. has taken some grief over the turnips and potatoes here, but does he care? In case it’s too hot, serve this with milk or beer.

Ingredients

• 7 cups homemade beef stock

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 4 small carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

• 1 ½ tablespoons minced parsley leaf

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ tablespoon Mexican oregano leaf

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 pound turnips, peeled and shredded coarsely

• 2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 ½ cups canned crushed tomatoes

• ½ cup apple cider

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• ½ cup browned butter roux (1/2 cup flour browned in 1/4 cup butter)

• 3 large chipotle chiles

• ½ cup Jack Daniels Bourbon (Black Label)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 6 chiles de arbol, seeds and stems removed, crushed (or substitute any small, hot dried red chiles)

• 3/4 teaspoon ground habanero

• 1 large pod mirasol chile, seeds and stems removed and crushed (or substitute New Mexican)

• 8 chiltepins, crushed (or substitute piquins)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 6 tablespoons raw or dark honey

• Sour cream for garnish

• Chopped green onions for garnish

Instructions

In a pot, combine the stock, garlic, carrots, parsley, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, turnips, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for 20 minutes, adding water as needed.

In a large skillet, heat the shortening, add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and cooked until browned. Add the tomatoes, apple cider, tomato paste, and roux and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.

Rehydrate the chipotles in the bourbon for 45 minutes, using a bowl to keep them submerged. Combine the chipotles in a food processor or blender with the remaining ingredients and puree. Add this puree to the meat mixture and stir well. Add the meat mixture to the boiling soup and mix well. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with the sour cream and green onions.

This highly unusual soup is not really a bisque or cream soup–it just resembles one. W.C. says that the soup is so-named because it is black and white and red all over. It requires three processes to complete, but is well worth it.

Note that the recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

Part 1:

• 3 quarts homemade chicken stock

• 2 cups Great Northern beans that have been soaked in water overnight

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 3 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 medium leek, white part only, chopped fine

• ½ teaspoon ground bay leaf

• 1 tablespoon finely ground white pepper

• 2 tablespoons salt

• ½ teaspoon ground celery seed

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Part 2:

• 3 quarts ham bone stock

• 2 cups black beans, soaked overnight in water

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 5 tablespoons garlic, minced

• 3/4 teaspoon ground bayleaf

• 1 ½ tablespoons finely ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons salt

• ½ teaspoon ground celery seed

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

• 1 tablespoons oregano leaf

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (Key lime preferred)

Part 3:

• 2 heads garlic

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 3 tablespoons sour cream

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 tablespoons hot red chile powder (Chimayó preferred)

Instructions

To make the black and white soups, use separate large pots. For part 1, combine all ingredients except the sugar and lemon juice. For part 2, combine all ingredients except the brown sugar and lime juice. Bring both pots to a boil and continue boiling, uncovered, until the beans are soft, about an hour. Add water if necessary.

While the soups are cooking, make part 3. Slightly spread the cloves apart in the heads of garlic and pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each head. Roast the heads on a cookie sheet in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove, cool, and remove the paper from the cloves. Combine in a food processor with the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and puree until smooth. Remove and place in a squeeze bottle.

Remove the soups from the heat and cool. Puree both soups separately in a food processor, adding the sugar and lemon juice to part 1 and the brown sugar and lime juice to part 2. Return the soups to their pots and heat, taking care not to boil.

To serve, use shallow soup bowls (or “plates”) and simultaneously ladle the black and white soups into the bowls so that ½ of the bowl is black and the other is white in a harlequin effect. Then paint 1/4 inch thick red ribbons of the garlic and chile puree over the top. Be creative–this is the fun part!