Never underestimate the potential of the Concord grape, now appearing at your local Greenmarket. Look what happened to poor Ephraim Bull, who introduced the variety in the 1850s, but died broke. While he was basking in the glow of his handiwork, others were thinking juice, jams, and PB&J. “He sowed, others reaped,” reads his tombstone. Charleen Badman, chef at Inside, thinks outside the grape box for her sweet but sophisticated Concord-grape ketchup, a fine seasonal accompaniment for robust cheeses like Boerenkaas or mild-flavored roast fish like cod.

Charleen Badman’s Concord Grape Ketchup

3 quarts Concord grapes, stemmed
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

(1) In a 4-quart saucepan, cook grapes and water over medium heat until the grapes release their juice.
(2) Strain juice, and discard skins and seeds. Combine juice with remaining ingredients in a saucepot. Reduce over medium heat for 30 minutes.
(3) Cool and serve.

Yield: 3 cups.

See also
New York Magazine's Recipe Archive

Related:

• Archive: “In Season”
• Articles by Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: October 18, 2004 issue of New York | Subscribe!