We have found the perfect topping for a hamburger and hot dog. A relish. Relish is a sweet and sour condiment that you mainly see in North America. The Indonesian Atjar or English piccalilli is also a type of relish.
Online we found several recipes where you have to ferment the relish. We always find that such a hassle. It takes to long, and sometimes it goes wrong, and then you can start al over. And don’t get us wrong, we love low and slow, but before you know it, you will empty the jar faster than it takes to fill it.
You can make a relish with all kinds of vegetables or fruit. We wanted to make one with zucchini because we happened to have one lying around. But you can also use paprika or tomato. We added one jalapeño for a little extra spice. You can leave it out or throw in 2 or 3 if you want it a bit hotter. You should pay attention to that you cut the vegetables all the same size and not too big. This way, you can see at the end what the relish is made of.
Then we will brine the vegetables with a whole tablespoon of salt. That seems like a lot, but it isn’t. The salt ensures that the moisture is extracted from the vegetables, and everything becomes a lot softer. This way, you put it covered in the fridge for at least a few hours. We left it there for a day.
The next day, rinse off all salt under running water, and then you take a dry tea towel and throw in all the pickled vegetables. If you now tie the tea towel together and turn it tighter, you will squeeze all the moisture out of the vegetables. If a little water remains, that is not such an issue.
Bring the rest of the ingredients to a gentle simmer in a pan, and then toss in the vegetables. Let everything simmer for half an hour until everything has thickened a little. Do not do this for too long otherwise, the vegetables will become too soft, and the relish will become a puree. The relish can also get too thick. When it cools down, it already will become a bit thicker. Too thick, and you will no longer get it out of the jar.
The relish tastes excellent on a hamburger or hot dog sandwich and goes well with other savoury dishes. Before you know it, the jar is empty.
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini
- 1 white onion
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 tbsp table salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 100 ml apple cider vinegar
- 100 grams of sugar
- ½ tsp celery seed
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini, onion and jalapeño into small pieces and put everything in a plastic container that you can seal.
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt and shake everything. Seal the container and put it in the fridge for a few hours to overnight.
- Rinse the vegetables under running water and dry in a tea towel or salad spinner.
- Put the rest of the ingredients in a pan and bring it to a gentle boil. Then add the vegetables and let it cook for half an hour until the relish sticks to the back of a spoon.
- Let the relish cool and keep it closed in the refrigerator.
