Pickled Pepper Relish

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I must admit to a deception. A small one to be sure, but a deception nonetheless. This condiment should actually be called calico relish, but I can't get the yellow or green peppers to show in the photographs I've taken. Rather than fuss, I've decided to rename the dish and what was once called calico has become pickled pepper relish. This is a wonderful way to use end of season sweet peppers. The relish is great with sandwiches and lovely with cream cheese. The recipe makes enough to guarantee you always have some around when you want or need it. The downside to this process is that you'll need a water bath canner to put this one by. If you need additional information about canning you can find it here. I don't freeze relish because I find it loses all trace of crispness when it thaws. Over the years, this has become really simple to make. I no longer do the chopping of vegetables by hand. The food processor is perfect for this task. I pulse the peppers until they have the same consistency as the cranberries that are used in Thanksgiving relish. I let them drain for a few minutes and then proceed with the recipe. If you like relish or chutney, I suspect you love this condiment. Here's the recipe.

Pickled Pepper Relish...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 sweet red peppers, chopped
2 sweet yellow peppers, chopped
2 sweet orange peppers, chopped
2 sweet green peppers, chopped
4 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pickling salt

Directions:
1) Combine peppers, onions and 1/4 cup water in a large non-reactive saucepan. Bring contents of pan to a boil. Remove from heat, cover pan, and let sit for 5 minutes.
2) Drain vegetables and return to saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup each vinegar and water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes.
3) Drain vegetables and return to saucepan. Heat remaining 2/3 cup vinegar, sugar and salt in a separate saucepan, until sugar is dissolved. Add to vegetables and return mixture to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until liquid is reduced and vegetables are tender-crisp.
4) While vegetables cook, sterilize 4 half-pint jars and lids. Bring water in a water bath kettle to a boil.
5) Ladle hot relish into jars to within 1/2-inch of jar rims. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from kettle and let cool on a towel until jars are room temperature. Tighten lids and store in a cool dark place. Yield: 3-1/2 cups relish.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Gooseberry Relish - Diner's Journal: New York Times
Ajvar - Red Pepper and Aubergine Relish - Maninas: Food Matters
Cranberry Relish - Simply Recipes
Homemade Hot Dog Relish - Sea Salt with Food
Green Mango Maple Relish - No Recipes
Plum Ginger Relish - The Mom Chef
Red Pepper Relish - One Perfect Bite

Quick Pickled Beets - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We spent most of the day at a local Scandinavian festival and when we returned found that a neighbor had left a bunch of freshly picked beets on the porch to share with us. We are not beet lovers, but do enjoy an occasional salad made with pickled beets. I have a simple recipe for an overnight pickle that works really well with small quantities of beets. While you can boil or bake them, the beets must be dressed with seasoned vinegar while they are still warm if you want the pickling flavors to permeate them. This recipe is one of those five ingredient wonders that really works. The best part of it is that you don't need any type of canning equipment to make this type of pickle. I plan to use the beets in a salad of bitter greens that I'll make tomorrow evening. I'll let you know how that turns out. In the meantime, here's the recipe for the quick beet pickle.

Quick Pickled Beets...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon mixed pickling spice
3 to 4 cups cooked beets, peeled and sliced

Directions:
Boil together sugar, water, vinegar and pickling spice. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour over cooked, sliced beets. Bring to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Yield: 3 to 4 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Tomato and Beet Salad - Herbivoracious
Raw Beet and Fennel Salad - For the Love of Food
Gingered Beet Salad - Caviar and Cod Fish
Grated Raw Beet Salad - My Life Runs on Food
Golden Beet and Goat Cheese Salad - Island Vittles
Beet and Radish Salad - The Baking Barrister

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Ten years ago, if asked if I put by pickles, my answer was a resounding, "No." Twenty years ago, it was a terse and less polite, "Get real." My response thirty yeas ago is best kept to myself. My failure to get with the program wasn't based on laziness, I've just never cared for preserved pickles. I thought they were salty and limp, and found their color just plain unappetizing. I wasn't a complete snob about them. I did love the brined, unprocessed dills that could occasionally be found in be found in barrels in some markets and delicatessens. I just never took the time to find out how they were made. Shortly after we moved to this area, I began to experiment with refrigerated pickles for certain Thai and Vietnamese dishes, and in the process learned I could make our favorite pickles in much the say way. I first mastered a refrigerator version of bread and butter pickles because my family loved to have them on hamburgers. I worked on garlic dills for several years but couldn't get the flavors right. I was about to give up and admit defeat when I found a recipe by Bobby Flay and decided to try one last time. I'm so glad I did. These are great pickles and they require no special equipment to make. They can be eaten the day after they are made and keep for about two weeks in the refrigerator. My only caution is to make sure you have enough room to store them for that length of time. I hope those of you who are fond of pickles will try these. You won't be sorry. Here's the recipe.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bobby Flay

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1) Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds in a heatproof bowl. Add hot water and stir until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Cool to room temperature.
2) Place cucumbers, garlic and dill in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour brine over all and turn to coat cucumbers. Cover them with a plate to weigh them down and keep them covered in brine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 quart.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Italian Giardiniera - Luna Cafe
Dill and Garlic Freezer Pickles - The Other Side of Fifty
Bread and Butter Pickles - Simply Recipes
Pickled Cucumber and Shallots - Indo-Chine Kitchen
Calico Pickled Salad - Drick's Rambling Cafe
Favorite Kosher Dills - Never Enough Thyme
Sweet and Spicy Watermelon Rind Pickles - One Perfect Bite

Spiced and Pickled Shrimp

The weather outside is frightful. Come inside and join us by the fire for one of our favorite finger foods - spiced and pickled shrimp.






From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love to serve these shrimp to friends at informal gatherings. This dish is one I wish I could claim as my own. I can't. I found the recipe, developed by Peggy Towbridge, at About.com Home Cooking and it's been a favorite of mine ever since. Don't be put off by the ingredient list. Chances are you have everything needed to make these shrimp in your refrigerator or pantry. I've made two slight changes to the original recipe. I think balsamic vinegar muddies the glorious color of this dish, so I've opted to use white wine or white balsamic vinegar instead. I've also added small amounts of red and yellow bell pepper to provide more eye candy in the final presentation. While I've served these shrimp as a first course for an informal dinner, I am more likely to set out bowls of them to entertain a large number of people for cocktails or an open house. When I serve these as finger food, I remove all trace of shell from the shrimp. I know that runs contrary to conventional wisdom, but I hate to see folks trying to balance drinks and plates of discarded shells or toothpicks. Shrimp, once a luxury item, is relatively inexpensive these days. So, you'll be happy to know the recipe can be doubled or tripled for those occasions when you're feeling particularly generous or are feeding the immediate world. I let the shrimp marinate for 24 hours before serving them. Discard uneaten, unrefrigerated shrimp at the end of the evening. The brine used to pickle the shrimp is not strong enough to kill organisms that might developed after the shrimp has been sitting unrefrigerated for several hours. Here's the recipe for a terrific party appetizer.

Spiced and Pickled Shrimp...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Juice of 1 lemon, rinds reserved
2 pounds large or jumbo raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup white balsamic or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh dill weed, finely chopped OR 2 teaspoons dried
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or hot sauce to taste
1 small sweet onion, finely sliced
1 small red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 small yellow pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced

Directions:
1) Combine garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, paprika, and celery seed until mixed.
2) Sprinkle lemon juice over the shrimp, top with the spice mixture, and toss to coat.
3) Place sliced reserved lemon rinds in about 1 inch of water. Cover with a steamer basket. Place spiced shrimp in the basket, cover pot, and gently steam until shrimp is just barely done and opaque, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or the shrimp will become rubbery. Remove from heat, uncover, and place shrimp in a large bowl of ice to stop cooking.
4) For the marinade, place olive oil, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, dill weed, garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper flakes or hot sauce in a large heavy bag with a zip top. Squish to thoroughly combine.
5) Add drained shrimp, sweet onion, and bell pepper to the marinade in bag. Seal with air in bag and toss to coat. Open bag, squeeze out air, and re-seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve cold. Yield: 12 to 16 appetizer
servings.

This is being linked to:
Outdoor Wednesday - A Southern Daydreamer