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Sherrie Norris Lovin’ Spoonful Cooking Column: Relish: “To take great pleasure in an experience”

By Sherrie Norris

In its verb form, the word relish means to enjoy or take great pleasure in an experience. As a noun, it is a spiced side dish or accompaniment to food. This time of year, it’s very easy to combine both meanings into one.

I remember my mother and grandmother making relish, which, to me wasn’t very appealing — chopped vegetables marinating in a tangy juice, poured into jars and stored on the pantry shelf between pickles and kraut. It was something the grown-ups ate with pinto beans, and I just didn’t “get it.”

Things sure have changed through the years!

For those of you fortunate enough this year to have a few garden goods left hanging around to “relish,” perhaps these recipes will come in handy.

 

Hamburger Relish

1 peck ripe tomatoes

4 large onions

4 large bell peppers

1 cup salt

2 lbs. sugar

1 qt. vinegar

3 Tbs. mustard seed

3 Tbs. celery seed

 

Peel tomatoes and chop with onions and peppers; add salt. Let drain 24 hours in a cloth bag. Then, empty into a large pan, add sugar, vinegar, mustard and celery seeds. Heat and put into jars. May need a few minutes in hot water bath to seal jars.

Corn Relish

10 ears corn

2 small cabbage heads

5 medium onions

3 hot peppers

4 Tbs. salt

4 Tbs. flour

1½ cup sugar

3 Tbs. mustard

4 cups vinegar

Cook corn; cool and cut from cob. Add chopped cabbage, onions and peppers. Mix dry ingredients; add vinegar. Pour over vegetables and simmer for 40 minutes. Pour into hot jars and seal.

 

Tomato Relish

18 medium tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped

2 cups diced celery

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup salt

2 cups vinegar

1½ cups sugar

1½ tsp. mustard seed

1 tsp. pepper

Place vegetables in large bowl; sprinkle with salt and mix well. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and drain again. In large pot, bring to boil the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and pepper; reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add vegetables; return to boil. Ladle hot relish into hot jars. Process for 20 minutes in boiling water bath.