Tag: relish

Recipe: Spicy Bruised Cucumber Relish

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Cucumber relish recipe

No matter how well-made a sausage can be, especially after being grilled to perfection on the barbecue, it can always benefit from the addition of condiments. This bruised cucumber recipe may sound like something a little different, but it’s ridiculously simple and is a dynamic alternative to the regular ol’ relish you find at the grocery store.

It’s best prepared and used same-day, so don’t whip this up until an hour or two before your barbecue!

What you’ll need…

1/2 cucumber (diced)

1/4 cup fresh dill (roughly chopped)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons Korean red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:

Place the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Using the base of coffee mug or sturdy glass bash the mixture to tenderize for approximately 1 minute.

Add vinegar, stir and transfer to a bowl or ziploc bag and let chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Yields 2 cups relish

Total prep time…5 minutes

Recipe: Spicy Carrot Relish

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Carrot relish recipe

There is never a bad time to enjoy a hot dog or a sausage. Having said that, it’s always nice to be able to put something on top that’s a bit fancier (not much fancier, though!) than the predictable ketchup, mustard and relish combination. This spicy carrot relish is awesome on roasted sausages (like the one pictured above here in the bun), or even as a finishing touch on pulled pork or a sliced table-ready pork tenderloin.

Who knew carrots and pork were destined to be so delicious together? Well, I did and now you do too!

What you’ll need…

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1 garlic clove (chopped)

1 tablespoon cane sugar

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

5 carrots (grated)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon grainy dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt (to taste)

Directions:

Place the first 6 ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.

Add grated carrots into the pot, stirring well to incorporate. Reduce to low heat and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer carrots to colander to strain out any excess liquid and then place into a food processor with remaining ingredients. Pulse several times until you have a relatively fine consistency.

Spoon out contents into a bowl or container, season to taste with salt and keep in fridge to use as desired.

Yields 2 1/4 cups relish

Total cook time…15 minutes

Recipe: Spicy Golden Beet Relish

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Beet relish recipe

There is one long weekend left in this summer. That’s right! ONE! And it begins tomorrow. You know, it would be a real shame if you didn’t invite some friends over, fire up that barbecue and have give summer a proper goodbye by cooking up some sausages, ribs and chops. Alright, so arguably September in Calgary is usually pretty gorgeous too, but I always find that after the labour day weekend, my care-free summer mentality drifts away.

Now that I’ve convinced you to have a barbecue, you will also need to whip up a batch of this beet relish. I had a pile of colourful beets from my Spud Calgary deliveries the past couple of weeks and they were just begging to be used. This relish is so easy to make, it’s bright, it will impress your friends and most of all, it’s delicious. Try it on some quality, local sausages like Spolumbo’s and you’ll enjoy it so much you won’t even care that summer has come to a close.

Ok, you may still care a little…

What you’ll need…

4 medium-sized golden beets (greens removed)

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim tops and bottoms off of the beets and remove skin with a vegetable peeler.

Wrap beets tightly with tin foil and roast in the oven until tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, unwrap and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Place into a food processor or blender, along with remaining ingredients and pulse until a chunky paste forms.

Transfer to a container (if you are a hipster like me, please use a mason jar) and place in fridge to cool. Once cool, put it on everything!

Will keep for up to 1 week.

Yields approximately 2 cups beet relish

Total cook time…50 min

Recipe: Caper and Almond ‘Relish’

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Almond and caper relishWhether you’re barbecuing pork ribs or slow cooking some pork shoulder in the oven, almost every cut of meat can benefit from a little burst of flavour courtesy of a condiment. Skip the barbecue sauce or mustard (or whatever you go-to may be) for once and try making a batch of this spin on a relish.

Bright and fresh with a little bit of crunch from the crushed almond, everyone around the dinner will definitely enjoy a spoonful or two of this pork-friendly topping on their plate this week!

What you’ll need…

1 cup roasted almonds

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh chives

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons caper juice

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Place the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a a chunky paste forms.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.

Pulse the food processor several more times while pouring in the liquid mixture.

Spoon out into a bowl, season to salt with salt and pepper and serve with any ready and willing cut of pork!

Yields 1 1/2 cups relish

Total prep time…10 minutes