Homemade Worcestershire sauce

And now added to the list of things I won't buy commercial versions of anymore: Worcestershire sauce.

I had a minor freakout some years back when I realized that not only does Lea & Perrins WS contain the reviled High Fructose Corn Syrup, but ENGLISH Lea & Perrins WS does not. Outrageous!

I'm on a one woman boycott of the company but...let's just say that unsatisfactory were the replacement options.

A few months back, the NY Times printed an original 1876 recipe (no HFCS-- fancy that). So I thought, let's just give it a try.

1876 Worcestershire

3 to 4 large shallots chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. mace
2 tsp. cayenne (I reduced this to 1 teaspoon which was plenty hot)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, grated
3 3/4 tsp. salt
2 oz. drained anchovies, chopped (use good quality anchovies)
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 cups apple-cider vinegar

Combine everything in a sterile jar. I washed out a 750 ml Fido wire bale canning jar with boiling water and then put everything in it. Shake it well, and refrigerate one month. Every few days shake the jar just to keep things mixed. You can taste test it along the way which is very interesting. It tastes quite different on Day 1 than it does on Day 28.

At the end of a month, strain it (through a chinois is nice because it catches all the sediment and spice grounds) and put it in another clean jar. We put it in a clean wine bottle which was the perfect size. Slap a quick-pour spout on the top and you're ready to roll. Use on just about anything, but keep it refrigerated.

Oh this stuff is good. Blow you out of the water good. It's heady, luscious flavor in about six different directions at once. All for ten minute's work and one month's time. I'd say that's a fair trade.One small tip: I cut back a bit on the cayenne pepper (only 1 teaspoon) and found the results still pretty punchy.

So add it to list of things that are just better made at home: the homemade granola, the home baked bread, the homemade butter, the homemade sauerkraut and cornichons, homemade spam, homemade ketchup, homemade duck confit...home is looking pretty sweet.

UPDATE:

Because I'm ridiculous, I couldn't resist making labels for our Worcestershire sauce. We found this adorable little Fido hooch bottle at Sur la Table and it just fits the amount of Worcestershire sauce we have left now that we've given some away for samples.

I also like to keep the recipes on condiments and preserves and mustards and such, that way I can remember which one I used on which batch.

- Posted from my iPhone