Recipe: Watermelon ketchup

Total time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: When you have half a melon left over, you can make this luscious condiment. Ignore the unpromising aromas that emerge during cooking — the result will be something like a rather sweet ketchup (though with no sugar added) and something like sweet pepper relish, with a rich flavor, a velvety texture and a startlingly saturated red color. A little dab would be excellent on a hot dog.

7 to 8 cups seeded, cubed

watermelon

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/8teaspoon mace

Pinch of cloves

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Purée the watermelon in a food processor in 2-cup batches. You should have about 4 cups of purée. Press the purée through a strainer to remove fibrous material and seeds (even seedless watermelon has some seeds).

2. Transfer the juice to a 10-inch nonstick skillet, bring it to a boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat and simmer until thick, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring from time to time. Watch carefully toward the end to prevent scorching.

3. During the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the vinegar, mace, cloves and cinnamon. Taste and add more spices if you like. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Each serving: 40 calories; 3 mg. sodium; 0 mg. cholesterol; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams protein; 0 grams fiber.