Relish

This garden vegetable relish is a smart way to use up a summer haul of green peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant before they go soft in the crisper drawer. Everything gets ground coarsely, salted overnight, then simmered briefly in a sweet vinegar brine.

The overnight salting step is doing the real work. It draws moisture out of the vegetables so the relish stays chunky and crisp instead of turning watery. Rinse and drain well after salting, otherwise the finished relish will be way too salty.

Mustard seed and celery seed give it that classic relish flavor, while fines herbes add a gentle herbal note. The five-minute simmer is just long enough to marry the flavors without turning the vegetables to mush. You want them tender but still with some bite.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the coarse blade on your food processor or meat grinder. Too fine and you’ll get a paste instead of a chunky relish.
• Don’t skip the overnight salt and drain. This step is what gives the relish its texture. Shortcutting it means a soggy result.
• The relish thickens and improves after a day or two in the fridge as the flavors settle.
• Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, it keeps well for about two weeks.

Variations

• Add a seeded and chopped jalapeno for a spicy relish that works great on burgers.
• Use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar for a mellower, more rounded acidity.
• Stir in sweet corn kernels after the simmer for a corn relish twist.