Compound 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 mushroom catsup, shallots, walnut catsup and chilli vinegar that's boiled together and then bottled for storing and use in flavouring other dishes. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Compound Catsup.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
COMPOUND, OR COOK'S CATSUP.
Take a pint and a half of mushroom catsup when it is first made, and ready boiled (the double is best for the purpose), simmer in it for five minutes an ounce of small eschalots nicely peeled; add to these half a pint of walnut catsup, a wineglassful of cayenne vinegar, or of chili vinegar; give the whole one boil, pour it out, and when cold, bottle it with the eschalots in it.
Mushroom catsup, 1 1/2 pint ; eschalots, 1 oz. ; walnut catsup or pickle, 1/2 pint; cayenne or chili vinegar, 1 wineglassful
Combine the mushroom catsup and shallots in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes then add the walnut catsup and chilli vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil then take off the heat and pour into a lipped jug. Set aside to cool then pour into bottles (divide the shallots between the bottles).
Stopper securely then process in a boiling water bath for 40 minutes before storing.
