Tomato Cocktail Sauce Base

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Wash 6 half-pint jars, bands, and new lids in hot soapy water and keep the jars hot until ready to fill.
2. 2Simmer the new lids in hot water per the manufacturer's instructions.
3. 3Wash the tomatoes, score an X on the bottom, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, cool in ice water, slip off the skins, cut out the cores, and chop the tomatoes.
4. 4Simmer the chopped tomatoes and onion together for 15 to 20 minutes until soft, then run the mixture through a food mill to remove skins and seeds.
5. 5Return the smooth pulp to the pot with the garlic and boil it down over medium heat, stirring often, until reduced and thickened to a ketchup-like consistency, about 35 to 40 minutes.
6. 6Stir in the vinegar, sugar, salt, and celery seed, and continue simmering for 5 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
7. 7Add the required bottled lemon juice or citric acid directly to each hot, empty jar before filling, in addition to the vinegar already in the base: 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per half-pint or pint jar.
8. 8Ladle the hot sauce base into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.
9. 9Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic tool, wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
10. 10Process in a boiling-water canner, jars covered by 1 to 2 inches of water, timing from a full rolling boil: 20 minutes for half-pints and pints at 0-1,000 ft, adding 5 minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes at 3,001-6,000 ft, 15 minutes at 6,001-8,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 8,000 ft.
11. 11Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then move the jars with a jar lifter to a towel-lined counter and let cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
12. 12Press each lid to confirm sealing, label with contents, acid added, and date, and refrigerate any jar that did not seal.
13. 13Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place up to about 1 year; once opened, stir in fresh prepared horseradish and hot sauce to taste, refrigerate, and use within about a week.
14. 14Do not can fresh horseradish or add raw horseradish before processing, since it is meant to be stirred in after opening; the bottled lemon juice or citric acid in the base itself is still required exactly as stated.