Wednesday, September 24, 2014

I Relish the Thought

I made these bread and butter pickles a few weeks ago and I have been eating them on sandwiches. I mixed some peppers, onions and garlic into the pickles and I like this "relish" just as much as the pickles.

I've made the pickled relish separately, which is also a great addition to sandwiches, I have been fine tuning the approach and seasonings. 

You can make these two different ways, one is without canning called refrigerator relish and the second by using a water bath to heat and seal the jars. You can also salt the relish for a more crispy relish or use them unsalted if you want a low salt alternative.

 This recipe will make six pint jars.


Ingredients

  1. 4 pounds of  organic peppers (about 15 medium peppers), you can use larger peppers or smaller peppers from your local farmers market. Wash well. Cut into 1/4 inch slices. You can do smaller or bigger slices according to your preference.
  2. Several red bell or other pepper cut into thin slices.
  3. 4 large onions cut into thin 1/2 inch slices. 
  4. Optional.  One poblano, serrano, or jalapeno pepper. Dice into thin rings.
  5. 2 cups organic white vinegar.
  6. 1 cup organic sugar. (If you like a very sweet relish you can use 2 cups).
  7. 1/2 cup water
  8. 1 tablespoon mustard seeds (yellow or brown)
  9. 1/2 tablespoon of whole pepper corns
  10. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (you can use whole ones too)
  11. 1 teaspoon tumeric (gives the relish a golden color)
  12. 1/2 -3/4 cup of pickling or kosher salt. (don't use iodized salt or it will discolor your veggies)
Directions
  1. Wash the vegetables thoroughly and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
  2. If you are going to salt the relish mix salt with the sliced vegetables stirring thoroughly until the salt coats everything. Cover with plastic and let sit in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. This will pull the water out of the veggies an make them more crisp.\
  3. After the salted vegetables sit for 2-4 hours rinse them off for 3-4 minutes removing all the external salt. While they are rinsing you can make the brine.
  4. Add the sugar, vinegar, water and spices to a sauce pan. Heat until simmering. Let simmer for 15 minutes. It smells great!
  5. Sterilize your jars and get your water bath boiling if you are going to be sealing your jars.
  6. Pack the relish mix tightly into pint (or quart) jars. Leave room about 1/4 inch or a little more below the rim of the jar.
  7. Use a canning funnel if you have it. Pour the brine over the pickles leaving about 1/4 inch head room. If you see air bubbles slide a thin knife along the edge until they bubble to the top. Add more brine if needed until full.
  8. Wipe off edges, add caps and rings. Put in water bath for 15 minutes after the canner comes back to a boil. 
  9. Remove from water and set to cool. Caps should all pop to be sealed.
  10. If doing the refrigerator version. Just fill the jars and put in the frig.
You can leave. out the salt step if you are sensitive to salt. Just use the vegetables fresh. They are still great. It is also a little quicker that way.

You can experiment with the spices. Add some chipotle peppers if you like it spicy. Several cloves of garlic are also a good addition.


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