Relish Sauce

Heat, sweetness, and saltiness – all of this is combined in relish sauce. Unlike traditional sauces, this one has a completely different texture – not smooth and homogeneous, but consisting of small pieces of various vegetables.

The relish includes both pickles and fresh cucumbers, as well as: zucchini, sweet and bitter pepper, onion, spices, and must-have mustard (preferably two types). After a brief pickling, the finely chopped vegetables are boiled in the same marinade and canned for long-term storage.

Yield: 3 jars of 0.5 liters and one of 0.3 liters (for tasting).

Preparation time: 4 hours.

Caloric content: 60 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• fresh cucumbers – 600 g;
• young zucchini – 400 g;
• white onion – 330 g;
• sweet pepper (large) – 2 pcs;
• hot chili pepper – 1 pc;
• white sugar – 100 g;
• apple vinegar 6% – 120 ml;
• coarse salt – 20 g;
• turmeric – 1 tbsp (without a heap);
• regular strong mustard – 120 g;
• Dijon grainy mustard – 120 g;
• starch – 15 g.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients (wash and dry the vegetables). Any cucumbers will do for this recipe – irregularly shaped, crooked, but not too old. To make the relish bright and colorful, take sweet peppers of different colors (red and orange). The heat can be adjusted to your taste by adding or removing some hot pepper.

2. Cut the cucumbers into small cubes (do not peel).

3. Take a large pot with a thick bottom and transfer the chopped vegetables there.

4. Chop the zucchini in the same way. If the fruits are old, remove the seeds and peel.

5. Add the cubes to the cucumbers.

6. Chop the onion finely.

7. Transfer it to the common pot.

8. Chop the sweet pepper.

9. Add it to the vegetables.

10. Very finely chop the bitter pepper. You can leave the seed box to make the flavor sharper.

11. Add this chopping to the pot as well.

12. Also, add salt, sugar, and turmeric here.

13. Next, add the two types of mustard.

14. Mix everything. Cover with a lid and leave on the table for about half an hour. Then mix again and transfer the pot to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

15. After the specified time, the vegetables will release enough juice and soak up the seasonings.

16. Place the pot over moderate heat and bring the mixture to a boil while constantly stirring.

17. Now the vegetables need to be boiled until the color of the cucumbers changes – it should turn dark green. This will take about 10-12 minutes.

18. Then turn off the heat and blend the mixture with an immersion blender, but only until there is a slight change in texture – the sauce should remain in pieces, just smaller ones.

19. Turn the stove back on to a medium level. Boil the mixture for about 10 minutes, then add the vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes.

20. Dissolve the starch in a small amount of water (about 20 milliliters).

21. Pour it into the pot, mix, and bring the mixture back to a boil.

22. The sauce has been well cooked and thickened a little. Now it can be poured into sterilized jars (do not turn off the heat, just minimize it).

23. Screw the filled jars tightly with screw lids or swing-top lids. Then turn them upside down and leave them to cool like that. The preparation can be stored all winter at room temperature.

Relish sauce will be useful for seasoning many dishes – it can be used for fish, meat, and various side dishes. The sauce is also added to hamburgers, hot dogs, and can simply be eaten with bread, so it’s advisable to have plenty of preparations. Enjoy your meal!