Overlooked Recipes

I put a stop to my website as of last September. I had been steadily working to add in to this blog all the recipes that had previously only been posted on the website, but inevitably, some get overlooked. I want to post three I discovered I had missed.

I have been horribly lax with working on my blog, or putting out a newsletter, or even cooking much of anything new. Why? I got into a project and it has occupied all my attention and interest for months, now. I periodically like to put together "books" with comb bindings for myself or for family. Often these are cookbooks of collected recipes for a family member, as well as being a quick reference for me. Sometimes I have dedicated myself to identifying flowers (as after a trip to California, with a slew of flowers I'd never seen before, living in the east) and making a small booklet, so I have them as a reference. I have done this with birds, using my own photos as well as photos my sisters had taken. We love birds. That book was immense, and it is in a large binder. Another was butterflies. Most often it has been recipes just because I love to cook.

Cactus Flower

The one that has occupied my time these past three months or so has been any and all plant photos taken in Arizona. I had visited AZ a fair bit in past, as one of my sisters lives here, but really never thought to live here myself. But, here I am, and now I am seeing cactus plants and wondering what kind they are, or other plants in general. While some seemed very straightforward, having been labeled, others not so much. And I have spent countless hours researching online. The last in a long line of plant types are succulents, and soon I will be wrapping up this project. I still have orphan plants I cannot identify, no matter how long I search. Alas. 

So back to these missed recipes. I just found that I had omitted them yesterday, and was horrified, because they are some favorites. So, without further ado:

Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini

Serves 6

Turkey Tetrazzini

6 ounces spaghetti
¼cup butter
½ cup flour
2¾ cups chicken broth
1 cup light cream or evaporated milk
¼ cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (6 oz. can)
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1 small jar chopped pimiento, drained
2 cups diced cooked turkey, or chicken
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water till just barely tender; drain. In a large skillet melt butter; blend in flour. Stir in broth, whisking so no lumps form. Add cream. Cook and stir till mixture thickens and bubbles. Add the wine, salt, pepper, spaghetti, mushrooms, green pepper, pimiento and cooked turkey. Turn into a 12 x 7½ x 2" baking dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan. Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes.

NOTES: I have on occasion tripled this recipe for a party. Divide the mixture into two 9 x 13 inch pans, and add on about 10 minutes of cooking time, or until it is bubbling all through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smoky Pork BBQ Ribs

1 (3½ pound) rack pork loin ribs

Smoky Pork BBQ Ribs

6 - 8 tablespoons Sweet Smoky Cocoa Rub
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
3 cups mesquite wood for smoking
½ cup Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce

Early in the day, soak the wood chips in water to cover, for at least 2 hours or more. Pat the Sweet Smoky Cocoa Rub onto both sides of the slab of pork ribs, plus 1 teaspoon of the salt per side, and allow to stand at room temperature, while the wood chips are soaking; 2 hours.

Once the wood chips have soaked long enough, cut two sheets of foil. Place half the wood chips onto each piece of foil and make a packet enclosing the wood and poke holes into the top.

At least 5 hours before you want the ribs done, start the grill, heating only one side. Once grill is ready, place the slab of ribs onto the hottest side and allow to sear well, about 10 minutes. Flip over and sear the other side for about 10 minutes. Move the ribs to the unheated side of the grill. Set one of the wood chip packets onto the hot side of the grill. Close the lid and monitor the temperature, keeping it relatively low; below 300 degrees if possible for at least 2 hours. Midway between, if the first wood chip packet has stopped smoking, place the second packet onto the hot side of the grill, to keep up the smoking. 

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Once the ribs have spent at least 2 hours on the grill, prepare a sheet of foil large enough to completely enclose the slab of ribs and set it into a large baking sheet with sides. Remove the ribs from the grill and set onto the large foil sheet. Cover the top with ½ cup of Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce and then fold the foil around the ribs, completely enclosing them. Place the baking sheet into the oven and allow to bake slowly for another 2 to 2½ hours, until completely tender.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tzatziki Sauce

Makes about 1½ cups sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup plain Greek yogurt or 1½ cups other plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, diced small (optional)
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced finely
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

If using a good quality Greek yogurt such as Fage brand, you may not have to drain the yogurt. If using other brands or the larger amount of just plain yogurt, set the yogurt into a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Place in the refrigerator and allow to drain for at least 1 hour or more.

If raw garlic upsets the stomach, set the minced garlic into a small bowl and just barely cover with vinegar. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes, then drain. This removes the raw taste. Add to the recipe and continue.

Discard the yogurt liquid. Place the drained yogurt into a bowl. Add the olive oil. vinegar, garlic, dill and salt and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. If using cucumber, stir in. 

Note: Cucumber, while true to the recipe, will add liquid if it sets for too long, making the mixture runny. If using cucumber, it may be best to stir in just before serving. Use this tzatziki when serving Falafel or Butternut Squash Falafel. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Turnips and Peaches

Turnips and Peaches make a very disparate title. I realize this. I am going into two recipes, hence the radically different subject matter.

Recently, I made falafel for the first time, and we fell in love with them. I sort of made things in reverse order though. I got the idea for falafel, and only after that process got started did I think about pita breads, which I didn't have at the time of eating the first falafel. So I made pita breads a couple of days afterwards, and we got to stuff the pita pockets a trifle more authentically.

Another thing was shown in many places online where falafel recipes were given, and that was Turnip Pickles. So many places with photos of falafel, served in pita breads with garnishes of tomato, yogurt sauce and other things, also showed photos of a hot neon pink condiment that I finally realized was Turnip Pickles.

And here I have a confession. I do not like turnips. I have tried, over the years, to keep an open mind, but somehow, they just taste bitter, and I do not enjoy them. When living in Guatemala, I learned to like a lot of things I had never liked or eaten in my youth at home. At age 20, I went to Guatemala, determined to learn to like the foods, to learn the culture and just generally learn to fit in. While I learned to love most of the foods served, including coffee, cauliflower, radishes and a host of other things I had never heard of before, turnips just never passed the threshold of acceptance, much less enjoyment.

Turnip Pickles

I've used turnips. VERY infrequently, in a Root Soup recipe that uses all root vegetables and their greens. Sometimes I use rutabaga, sometimes turnip. All together in the soup, and mixed with things I do like, such as carrots, parsnips and beets, the turnips just sort of blend in, and I tolerate them. I really like the earthiness of the soup, so I make it about once a year. 

And this brings me back to the concept of turnip pickles. I looked at the photos online and waffled. Finally, I just made up my mind and bought ONE turnip. I figured I would give the recipe a try. What was the worst that could happen? I wouldn't like them and I wasted a few ingredients? Plenty of ingredients get wasted when I buy something and then just never get around to using it. So, I went ahead.

The recipe I found and scribbled onto a piece of paper, was partly specific, partly optional. I figured I would easily be able to go back and find it, to give credit. IF, that is, I liked the pickles. And guess what? I absolutely LOVED these turnip pickles! Finally, at age 67, I found a turnip recipe that I can eat with enjoyment. I went online to look for the recipe. I found more than 20 variations on the theme, but none - not even one of them - is the one I scribbled down. So, whoever had this recipe online, forgive me. I love the recipe. I added spices to my own taste. I didn't have a fresh beet (which gives the beautiful neon pink color) but had some plain, cooked beets. The color in my turnip pickles is not quite as vibrant as most seen online, but close enough. The color is just pretty, and in no way necessary. The pickles are crunchy, tangy and marvelous. The recipe I used is this:

Turnip Pickles

Turnip Pickles

Makes about 1 quart

2 medium turnips
2 or 3 slices raw beet
½ red onion, sliced
¾ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup water 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 bay leaf 

Peel the turnips and slice them however you prefer. Some slice them about ¼-inch thick and then in quarters, some slice them into sticks. Set them into a saucepan with the slices of beet. Add in all the remaining ingredients, bring just to boil, then pack into a jar. Refrigerate, once cooled.  Allow the pickles about 3 days to develop their color and flavor.

On to the Peaches

My sister-in-law loves peaches. I love peaches too, but not in the all-consuming way she does. If there is a recipe involving peaches, Sherri is all about it! For her birthday recently, I made dinner for her; whatever she wants, I make for her birthday dinner each year. In past, she has asked for me to make Peach Crisp. I love my apple crisp recipe and it is just so good I call it "Best Apple Crisp, Ever." If the photo (in my link) does not inspire, I beg pardon. It is the most exceptional recipe. However, when substituting peaches for the apples in the recipe, the mixture stays runny, too juicy by far, and the topping, which should be crunchy, remains soggy. I have made this for her at least twice in past, and I have not been at all pleased with how it came out, though Sherri professed to truly love it
 

Peach Crisp

So when Sherri asked me to make Peach Crisp for dessert on her birthday, my heart kind of sank a little. But I would make it, no matter what. That's what she wanted. I sat and thought about the recipe a little bit. I thought about apples - in the sense that they tend to thicken on their own, because of their pectin. Peaches, on the other hand, have no natural pectin, so they stay runny unless thickened. So, why not thicken them? I went to look at recipes for peach pie. Every recipe I own seems to call for canned peaches. I wanted to use fresh peaches. Drat. Thickeners, to my mind, would either be tapioca or cornstarch. Since neither Sherri nor her brother (my husband) like tapioca, then cornstarch was going to be the choice.

The other thing was that with apple crisp, I use nutmeg and cinnamon as the spices. To me, cinnamon is not the best flavor for a peach dessert. I thought about spices, their flavors, and what might go well with peaches. I came up with a combination of nutmeg, ginger and allspice. 

What an absolutely delightful Peach Crisp it turned out to be. The flavors were exceptional. The best of all was that the peaches were thickened, so the topping got nice and crisp. It was a most exceptional Peach Crisp, indeed. And this is what I did:

Best Peach Crisp, Ever

Makes one 8 x 8-inch pan

Best Peach Crisp, Ever

4 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

TOPPING:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, whisked slightly with a fork
----- ⅓ cup melted butter
----- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray an oven-proof 8 x 8-inch pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the peaches with the cornstarch, sugar and spices. Toss well to combine and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in the whisked egg, and with a fork, quickly mix and toss, creating a sort of streusel-like mixture. If all the dry ingredients are not moistened, this is not a problem.

Have the melted butter ready and combine the second set of the spices in a small bowl.

Mix the peaches once more, to distribute the sugar and cornstarch, then pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the peaches. 
Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the streusel, then lightly sprinkle on the reserved spices. 

Bake the Crisp for about 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden and crisp, and the peach mixture is bubbling up the sides in places. Serve warm. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Chutney with Tamarind and Chutney with Mango

Not everyone is familiar with Tamarind, even in this age of unification through the internet. I was introduced to tamarind, a legume or "fruit" that grows on a tree, while I lived in Guatemala in the 1970s. At that time, the main way I knew of tamarind is as Agua de Tamarindo (Tamarind Water), which was made as a refreshing beverage similar to lemonade in its sweet/sour aspect. For a time after returning home to the US, I would buy Goya brand Agua de Tamarindo, just to revisit the flavor, tamarind pods not being easily available here in the US at that time.
 

Tamarind Pods

Later on, as I discovered and fell in love with Indian cuisine, tamarind was presented in a runny "chutney" on many Indian buffets, and while this use tended to present the sour side of the fruit, nonetheless it became a chutney I particularly enjoyed. I was already familiar with its flavor, so this was an easy transition. In many dishes that call for tamarind as a sour flavoring agent, lemon juice is used as a substitute. If you keep in mind that while tamarind is in no way as tart as lemons, it is a souring agent used extensively in Indian dishes and other Southeast Asian cuisines, as well as in the Caribbean and Central America. 

If you are unfamiliar with tamarind, the fruit is encased in a brittle pod that is easily broken and removed. The dense and sticky fruit is somewhat encased in long, stringy fibers, and inside are somewhat flattened, glossy seeds. To make tamarind water as a beverage, you would first remove the brittle pod, then set the insides to soak in water. Once softened it is easiest to use clean hands and just squeeze and squish (very technical terms, I now!) the fruit to release its flavors, then strain and sweeten to taste. I went into this in a couple of blogs, see this one for a little more detail.

Tamarind is also found in a "brick", where the outside shells have been removed and the inner, sticky pulp, fibers and seeds are compressed. It is usually found cellophane wrapped, and it is used in the exact same way as if you used the pods. This package said "seedless" but that was absolutely not so!

I was amazed to find up here in Aberdeen, South Dakota, that our local WalMart store now carries whole tamarind pods! I had just used up the box full I had bought a couple of years past, while making Tamarind Chutney for an Indian dinner recently, so this was a wonderful surprise. In light of this, I wanted to write about making this chutney. It is not to everyone's taste, but for me it is certainly high on my list of favorite chutnies. My husband likes his sweet mango chutney, and I occasionally make and can a few jars to keep on hand. I will have to make some more as I also used up the last jar for that Indian meal.

Tamarind Chutney or Imli Chutney 

Makes about 2½ cups

Tamarind Chutney or Imli Chutney

7 ounces of compressed tamarind brick, or 7 ounces of tamarind pods, shell removed
3 cups boiling water
3/4 cup brown sugar or jaggery
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger 
1/2 teaspoon black salt, or regular salt, optional

Soak the tamarind in the hot water for about 30 minutes, until softened. The water will have cooled significantly during this time. Strain the water off into another container. Use 1 cup of the water to mash and squeeze the softened pulp and press it through a strainer. Use the back of a spoon to continue pressing to remove as much of the pulp as possible, without any fibers or seeds. 

Once the strained pulp is pressed out as well as possible, place all the pulp retrieved into a saucepan. Add in all the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and then lower to a medium low boil and cook for about 20 minutes. The chutney is not meant to be thick, but only slightly less runny. Store in jars in the refrigerator for up to two months.

If you would like to make a very tasty Mango Chutney (of the British "Major Grey" sort), this recipe is absolutely delicious. It makes 3 pints, so canning and processing in a water bath is a good idea.

Mango Chutney or Am Chutney

Makes 3 pints

Mango Chutney

8 green cardamom pods, crushed
5 whole cloves
1½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
3-inches true cinnamon stick, crumbled
2 pounds fresh mango, cut in ½-inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup Sultanas (white raisins)
¼ cup seedless tamarind pulp, optional
1 piece fresh ginger the size of a large walnut
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly and chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes, amounts optional
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups sugar

Place the first 6 ingredients into a dry skillet and heat to fairly high, stirring often until very fragrant. Remove the spices to a large enameled or stainless pot or stock pot. Add in the mango, onion, Sultanas, tamarind, ginger and garlic with the salt and chili flakes. Pour in the vinegar and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat to medium, maintaining a good boil and stirring often to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes. Add in the sugar all at once and stir to dissolve. Once the mixture returns to a boil, stir relatively continuously for another 12 minutes or so, until the mixture begins to fall in two thick droplets from the side of a spoon.

Have hot sterilized pint jars ready. Pack the chutney into the jars, wipe rims and threads with a wet cloth and seal with lids and rings. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for: 
10 minutes if at 0 - 1,000 feet
15 minutes if at 1,000 to 6,000 feet
20 minutes if above 6,000 feet

Remove from water bath and set jars on the counter to await the nice pop, indicating a good seal on the jars. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Musing on Thanksgiving Meals

My sister's feast with family, 2010

As an aside, it has been slow going, as it usually is when returning from a trip. I always have a hard time getting back into my routine, meaning things I normally get to are left for last - like this blog. That does not mean I have not been cooking! At present I have enough new things made to write for days. However, with Thanksgiving looming on the near horizon, some time has been spent pinpointing the recipes I want to make for this holiday. To change a recipe I love? Or not? Just an adjustment?

Our feast with friends, 2011

I never stray too far from my usual. All the things I grew up eating, like roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes and cranberries are always on my menu. However, aside from the fact that I am making the same foods, none of my recipes are even comparable to what my Mom made.

I loved Thanksgiving at my Mom's table. She stuffed her bird, back before all the dire warnings of illness due to stuffing cooked wrongly, and I loved that stuffing best. It was made with a cubed loaf of bread, fried bacon, onion fried in the rendered grease, parsley, eggs and milk. Over the years things changed. As I learned more about cooking, I added things I thought would taste good. Making Mom's stuffing recipe, it seemed natural to add in some apple, some grated nuts, reduce some of the grease, try to approximate the flavors of stuffing in the bird - without stuffing the bird!  My stuffing recipe morphed over the years to become Better than Mom's Stuffing. This year it is morphing again, but I will get to that after the fact. My ideas at this point are to proceed as usual, but substitute cornbread for part of the bread in the recipe, and to add in a jar of whole chestnuts. 

Better than Mom's Stuffing

She made mashed potatoes with butter and milk, salt and pepper. Her sweet potatoes were canned, partially drained and cooked down with some butter and brown sugar as a glaze. Her gravy was delicious, though I cannot say how she made it. Cranberries were from a can and most usually the "jellied" variety, served sliced. Did you know that there exists a silver cranberry server? Actually, it seems that in Victorian times this piece was to serve tomatoes, but there is nothing like re-purposing, right?

Tomato or Cranberry Server

I do not stuff my turkey any longer; have not for many years. I often rub some mixture under the skin for flavor, like my Herbed Butter for Turkey or Chicken. In many prior years, I just stuck sprigs of fresh rosemary & thyme, with some onion wedges and garlic cloves under the skin. 

I cook 2 or 3 parsnips with my potatoes and then rice them, adding cream cheese or goat cheese and chopped scallions or chives. I make a Sweet Potato Casserole I have been making since the early 1980s. My stock is made using extraneous bits and pieces of the turkey (gizzards, neck, wingtips, extraneous fat chunks) and is used as the basis for my gravy. The pan drippings get added to the stock later on, before making the gravy.

Cranberry Orange Relish

I make my own Cranberry Orange Relish. My recipe for many, many years is a variation on many out there using orange juice as the cooking liquid. This year I am changing that recipe again. I had a bottle of Ruby Port open since using some to make the Fall Fruit Compote to accompany Pheasant Alfredo. I wanted to use some of this Port as a part of the cooking liquid for the fresh cranberries, along with orange juice. My thought was to first cook the Port down to about half the amount, to concentrate the flavors and lend sweetness. An alternative I would like to try some day is using pomegranate juice instead of the Port for this recipe. I imagine it will give great flavors also, and I would recommend it for those of you who do not use wine at all.

Yesterday was the day for this experiment. I have never, ever put spices into my cranberry sauce, but this year I did add in a small Cassia cinnamon stick, plus a little cheesecloth bag of ½ teaspoon each cardamom seeds and allspice berries. The smell in the kitchen was just heavenly while the wine cooked down!

A cup of Port  |  cooking Port with spices  | peeled sections of orange rind  |  orange sliced julienne style

I still used orange juice for the rest of the liquid, but used less sugar, overall. I added in a cup of dried cherries, for that flavor element. Along with orange zest, I also added lime zest and grated fresh ginger. I took plenty of photos while making it, but did not display the finished product  to get great photos. Those will be added in later on. Meanwhile, this is my Cran-Cherry Relish with Ruby Port:

Relish Cooked to Jam Consistency

Cran-Cherry Relish with Ruby Port

Makes about 4 cups

1 cup Ruby Port
½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon whole cardamom seeds
1 stick (4-inches) cassia cinnamon stick

12 ounces fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
1 cup dried cherries
1¼ cup orange juice
3 parings of fresh orange zest, about 1 x 3-inches each
1¼ cup granulated sugar
zest of one lime or lemon
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

In a 4 - 6 quart saucepan, bring the port to a boil. Wrap the allspice berries and cardamom seeds in a piece of cheesecloth and add them to the pot with the cassia cinnamon stick. Boil the mixture on medium for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until it has reduced to half. If the prep is not yet done, remove the pan from the heat until it is all done.

Grated lime zest, grated fresh ginger | dried cherries,
all added to the reduced Port and cooked to perfection

If the rest of the ingredients are prepped and ready, add all of them in now. Stir together and return the mixture to boil. Almost immediately, the cranberries will begin to pop. I like to mash them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon, freeing the insides. This helps thicken the mixture. After about 8 to 10 minutes at a gentle boil, the mixture should have thickened appreciably, to a jam consistency. Remove from heat, cool. Pour into a container, cover and refrigerate. The relish will keep at least 2 weeks well covered in the refrigerator. A great Do-Ahead dish for a busy time!

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Great Recipe with Banana Peppers

The first time I tasted this relish, I was just entranced, enchanted, excited and exuberant. Maybe enough alliteration? Still, this relish is just one of the best condiments. It is more versatile than almost anything I have tried. What is it? It is a mustard relish with banana peppers. 

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish: good enough to eat by the spoonful!

I originally tasted a version of this relish at the house of my dearest friend, Chris. We have been friends from childhood on, though we are not in touch very much anymore. The time and distance do not dim the memories. I still consider her my best friend. Whenever Chris and I have been together as adults, I have always come away with more fantastic recipes to use. She loves to cook and bake as much as I. When I began looking into gluten-free baking, she was the first person I turned to for advice. She has been on a gluten free regimen for many years, out of choice. 

Last year's Relish

Getting back to this relish, it is known by many names. I don't know where it may have originated. I have seen similar recipes from "Amish Country" in Ohio, where I grew up. More currently, Michael Symon (also from Ohio, BTW), talks about a very similar mixture he calls "Sha Sha Sauce". The amounts of the ingredients may vary a little from one recipe to another, but it is the same basic thing...and it is GOOD!

This year, banana peppers have been very little in evidence. I have been waiting to see them at the Farmers' Market but have so far only seen a few. And now, we are dipping into the higher 30 degree range at night already this far north, and the Farmers' Market will soon be done for the year. Pumpkins and winter squash of all sorts have been out in force. And, some of the most gorgeous bell peppers I have ever seen were out last week. Maybe I will still have an opportunity to find more banana peppers, but for now, I did make one batch of this marvelously flavored relish using half banana peppers and half what appeared to be Anaheims. The Anahaim peppers were so beautiful and big. I had begun removing seeds and membranes before I remembered to get a photo, but you can see how large the Anaheim peppers were from the photo of them, halved, next to my Hammer Stahl Santoku knife with a 7.5-inch blade!

lighter color Banana Peppers left; larger, green Anaheim Peppers right

What is so fantastic about this relish?

You may be wondering why the raptures. Well, the relish is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy (depending on the heat level of the particular peppers), nice and creamy and mustardy. Somehow, all those things combine into a most indescribably good flavor profile. Here are some of the many uses for this condiment:

• spread on any sandwich; ham, BLT, leftover meatloaf; be creative
• on tortillas for quesadillas
• on toast to pair with eggs for breakfast
• on buns for burgers or hot dogs
• as a veggie dip
• on crackers 
• or just scoop out a spoonful, it is that good!

Until you've tasted it, this relish may not be top of mind. Once tasted, you won't forget it! I introduced it to my son Ken and his wonderful wife, Julia, last year when they came to visit. I sent them home with a jar. They asked for more. This year, just a week or so back, when again visiting, I sent them home with two jars. And that left me with none. I knew I would be making some very soon, so this was no problem.

This year's batch of Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

A few days ago, while I had the Finnish Rye Bread rising, I set about making this relish again. I had made a few changes to the recipe Chris gave me. Still, when looking at the recipe again, I was thinking that not all peppers are created equal. Sometimes banana peppers are long and sometimes not quite so long. How much would the right amount be in cups, I wondered.  This time, while chopping all the peppers, I first weighed them, then cleaned and chopped them and measured the amount. This way there is less guesswork involved. 

When beginning work on the recipe, I thought maybe there were more peppers this year than last year, so I altered the amounts of vinegar, sugar and mustard to reflect this. I used about twice the onion, since the onion was large and fresh from the market also. So, a little more of this, a little more of that, and I had a little bit different a recipe than I started with. None of this changed the excellent flavor. This combination of ingredients just cannot be beat.
 

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

Makes 8½ cups

1¾ pound banana peppers
2¼ cup white vinegar
2¼ cup yellow mustard
2¾ cup sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon Kosher or canning salt
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced or through a garlic press

chopped peppers left, mixing the recipe right

Set a large canning pot at least halfway filled with water to boil. Set the clean canning jars and rings in the pot. Have lids handy.

Remove stem ends, seeds and membranes from the peppers, then chop into small pieces about ¼ inch in size. There should be about 4 cups. Set aside.

In an 8-quart pot, combine the vinegar, mustard and salt. In a bowl whisk together the flour and sugar and stir into the pot. Add in the onion and garlic and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the chopped peppers and continue to cook, maintaining a strong simmer and stirring often over medium low to low heat for 20 minutes.

Drop the lid sections of the canning jars into the boiling water with the jars and rings to heat through, but do not leave them for too long. Pack the relish into the sterile jars, top with lids and screw on the rings. Set the sealed jars into a boiling water bath to cover. If the water in the canning pot does not cover the jars, add water until it does. Bring to a boil and time for 20 minutes. Remove and wait from that wonderful sound of the "pop" as lids seal.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.