Why it works: Pepper and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,395 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Mushroom Catsup
Ingredients
Directions
Salt the mushrooms
Select fresh, large mushrooms with a delicate pink underside.
Discard any mushrooms that are black.
Layer mushrooms and coarse sea salt in a deep stone or earthen pan.
After 2-3 hours, mash the mushrooms and stir the mixture well.
Repeat the mashing and stirring for two days.
Make the juice
Add 1½ ounces of whole black pepper and ½ ounce of whole allspice for every quart of mushrooms.
Transfer the mixture to a stone jar.
Seal the jar tightly.
Place the jar in a boiling water bath for at least 2 hours.
Remove the jar.
Strain the juice through a fine sieve without pressing the mushrooms.
Boil the strained juice gently until it is reduced by half.
Skim off any foam.
Settle, bottle and store
Pour the reduced juice into a clean jar.
Cover the jar.
Let it sit in a cool place overnight.
Carefully pour off the liquid to avoid disturbing the sediment.
Strain the liquid through a jelly bag until clear.
For each pint of catsup, add 1 tablespoon of best brandy.
Let it settle again.
Pour the mixture into rinsed bottles.
Cork the bottles tightly.
Seal them with bottle cement.
Store them in a cool, dry place.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Mushroom + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Mushroom + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together206 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Mushroom + allspicetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together717 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Allspice + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together931 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Large fresh mushrooms
- Provide the main body and flavor base that releases juice during salting.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the mushrooms and preserves the mixture.
- Whole black pepper
- Adds pungent spice and aromatic depth to the preserved liquid.
- Whole allspice
- Contributes warm, aromatic spice notes to the finished ketchup.
- Best brandy
- Adds alcohol and aroma, helping keep the finished ketchup stable.
The step that matters
Strain without pressing the mushrooms. Pressing forces solids through the sieve, making the liquid cloudy and gritty. Letting the juice drip keeps the final ketchup clear and smooth.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mushroom, pepper, brandy):
- Thymefits better
- Clovefits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mushroom, pepper, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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