Roasted Capsicum Relish

Can't resist a bargain and since I can no longer grow my own as we now live in an apartment, finding things on sale and in season is now my new strategy.

Imagine my delight when I found red capsicums (peppers) on sales for only $3.49 a kilo! They have been almost $9 a kilo.

I checked them twice and even got the supermarket to get me ones from out the back "fresh" from their refrigerated stock so I knew at least they were the best I can get at a supermarket. Okay, I know that may sound snobbish but once you grow your own you know how fresh they are and you can pick and pickle with hours, with store bought food you really don't know how long they have been sitting around.

Back from the supermarket with my hall of peppers and I already knew what I was going to make, roasted capsicum (pepper) relish by Sally Wise.

I made this last season when I grew so many of these babies and it tasted terrific on sandwiches and on steak. A good all round relish.

Like a lot of chutneys and relishes, there isn't a lot to it and it just takes times. Personally I think the most time consuming thing is roasting the capsicums and peeling them, but I love the feel of the skins easily coming away from the pulp of the pepper so oddly, I rather enjoy that.

So how to make this wonderful chutney is as follows:

Ingredients

2 large red capsicum or 3 small ones - really you can use any colour but I prefer the flavour of the red ones (and yes I do think they all taste different)
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 finely chopped onion
12 teaspoons of grated ginger (I don't use this much I have to admit I use may half of that amount)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of either balsamic or white wine vinegar (I actually did half and half for this recipe)

Method

Cut the top and remove the seeds and core of the capsicums and place under a really hot grill and let the skins blacken. You may need to turn them a bit - that will depend. Then either pop into a bowl and cover with cling film or do what I did and just turn off the grill inside my oven and let them sweat in there for 10-15 minutes and the skins come off beautifully.

Once you have the skins off the peppers then chop them up.

Add this to a pot that has all the other ingredients and bring to the boil and then cook (I did a slowish boil not a hard boil) for around 30 minutes or until it has thickened. Mine did take longer so just keep an eye on it.

Pour into sterilised jars and seal. This will last up to 12 months in a cool dark place.

Use on steak,or as I did on a sandwich of corned beef and cheese. Delish!