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Walnut Catsup

Walnut Catsup is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic Victorian store sauce made from a blend of pounded walnuts, salt and vinegar that are macerated together before being strained and where the liquid is boiled with beer, anchovies and spices before being poured off and bottled. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Walnut Catsup.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

80 minutes

Total Time:

100 minutes

Makes:

8 small bottles

Rating:

Tags : Sauce RecipesVegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.

Original Recipe

WALNUT CATSUP.

     The vinegar in which walnuts have been pickled, when they have remained in it a year, will generally answer all the purposes for which this catsup is required, particularly if it be drained from them and boiled for a few minutes, with a little additional spice, and a few eschalots; but where the vinegar is objected to, it may he made either by boiling the expressed juice of young walnuts for an hour, with six ounces of fine anchovies, four ounces of eschalots, half an ounce of black pepper, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, and a drachm of mace, to every quart; or as follows:—

     Pound in a mortar a hundred young walnuts, strewing amongst them as they are done half a pound of salt; then pour to them a quart of strong vinegar, and let them stand until they have become quite black, keeping them stirred three or four times a day; next add a quart of strong old beer, and boil the whole together for ten minutes; strain it, and let it remain until the next day ; then pour it off clear from the sediment, add to it half a pound of anchovies, one large head of garlic bruised, half an ounce of nutmegs bruised, the same quantity of cloves and black pepper, and two drachms of mace : boil these together for half an hour, and the following day bottle and cork the catsup well. It will keep for a dozen years. Many persons add to it, before it is boiled, a bottle of port wine; and others recommend a large bunch of sweet herbs to be put in with the spice.

     1st Recipe. Expressed juice of walnuts, 1 quart; anchovies, 6 oz. ; eschalots, 4 oz.; black pepper, 1/2 oz.; cloves, 1/4 oz.; mace, 1 drachm. 1 hour

     2nd. Walnuts, 100; salt, 1/2 lb.; vinegar, 1 quart to stand till black. Strong beer, 1 quart ; anchovies, 1/2 lb. ; 1 head garlic ; nutmegs, 1/2 oz.; cloves, 1/2 oz.; black pepper, 1/2 oz.; mace, 2 drachms: 1/2 hour.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

100 young walnuts (when the head of a pin can still pierce the walnuts)
225g sea salt
1l malt vinegar
1l strong, stale, beer
225g anchovies, chopped
1 large head of garlic, cloves separated and bruised
15g nutmegs, bruised
15g whole cloves
15g black peppercorns
1/16 tsp ground mace

Method:

Wash and dry the walnuts thoroughly then pound in a mortar. Scrape into a non-reactive bowl and mix with the salt until completely blended. Pour over the vinegar and stir to combine then set the mixture aside until the walnuts have completely turned black (3 to 5 days usually) — stir them tree or four times a day during this period.

After this time, mix in the stale beer (needs to be 5% ABV at least) then turn the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 10 minutes then take off the heat and pour into a fine-meshed sieve. Allow to drain naturally over night (do not press down on the pulp) then pour off the liquid (leave any sediment behind) into a clean saucepan. Add the anchovies, garlic, nutmegs, cloves, black peppercorns and mace. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling for 30 minutes. Take off the heat and pour into a lidded jug.

Set aside to cool over night then pour the liquid clear of any sediment into washed and sterilized bottles.

Stopper securely then process in a boiling water bath for 40 minutes before storing.

Find more Eliza Acton Recipes Here and more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here.