Mushroom Ketchup

 
  1 1/2 lb Mushrooms, firm & fresh
  1 1/2 tb Pickling salt
      1 oz Dried boletus mushrooms
      3 c  Hot tap water
      2 c  White wine vinegar
      3 lg Shallots, peeled -=OR=-
      1 sm Onion, peeled
      1 ea Garlic clove, peeled
     10 ea Whole allspice -=OR=-
    1/4 ts Ground allspice
      4 ea Whole cloves
      3 lg Mace blades
      2 ea Bay leaves
    1/2 ts Ground ginger
    1/2 ts Freshly ground pepper
    1/4 c  Medium or dry sherry
 
  Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, or brush them clean.  Avoid
  washing them if possible; if it is necessary, swish them rapidly
  through a bowl of water and lift and drain them promptly.  Trim off
  any discolored stem ends or damaged portions.  Slice the mushrooms
  thin (a food processor fitted with the thin-slicing disc makes short
  work of this task) and mix them thoroughly with the salt in a ceramic
  bowl. Cover mushrooms with a cloth and let them stand 24 hours,
  stirring occasionally. They will become very dark (the finished
  ketchup will be approximately the color of black bean soup).
  
  At least an hour before the end of the salting period, combine the
  dried boletus mushrooms with the hot tap water; let them stand,
  covered, until completely soft.
  
  Lift the soaked mushrooms from their liquid with a slotted spoon
  (this is to eliminate any grit that may be in the liquid) and place
  them in the container of a blender or food processor.  Let soaking
  liquid settle for a minute or two, then carefully pour it over the
  mushrooms, stopping before any grit is poured out.  Puree the soaked
  mushrooms, then pour the puree into a preserving pan.  Without
  rinsing the blender container, puree the salted mushrooms; add this
  puree to that in the pan.
  
  Place about 1/2 cup of the vinegar in the blender and add shallots and
  garlic; process them to a puree.  Add this puree to the mixture in
  the pan, together with the rest of the vinegar, the allspice, cloves,
  mace, bay leaves, ginger and pepper.  Bring the mixture to boiling
  over medium-high heat, lower heat, and simmer the ketchup, uncovered,
  stirring it often, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the tiny fragments
  of mushroom are very soft, almost jellylike, and the ketchup is thick.
  
  To test for correct consistency, pour a spoonful onto a saucer and
  let it stand 10 minutes, with the pot off the heat; if very little or
  no liquid seeps from the solids, the ketchup has thickened enough. If
  it does not pass this test, resume the cooking for as long as
  necessary.
  
  Press ketchup through a sieve to remove the bay leaves and whole
  spices, then puree it again, in batches if necessary, in a blender or
  food processor, running the machine until the texture is velvety
  smooth.
  
  Return ketchup to the rinsed-out pan and bring it to a full boil
  again over medium-high heat, stirring it constantly.  Stir in the
  sherry.
  
  Ladle the boiling-hot ketchup into hot, clean half-pint or pint
  canning jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace.  Seal jars with new
  two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's directions and
  process for 15 minutes (for either size jar) in a boiling-water bath.
  Cool, label and store the jars. Let ketchup mellow for a few weeks
  before serving it. Keeps for at least a year in a cool pantry.
  
  Helen Witty, "Fancy Pantry"  Posted by Cathy Harned.