In this case, it was fresh beetroot pulled up from my Aunt's vegetable garden and apples plucked from my Grandfather's apple tree, given to me within the space of an afternoon, that prompted me to develop a recipe to use both.
Beetroot Relish isn't something that people generally drool over, but I have tweaked and tasted this recipe to within an inch of its life. I first served it when friends came over for a midsummer barbeque, with wafer crackers and a delicious Greek sheep's feta. We were sitting outside, at a table under a huge shady tree, and I was deep in conversation when I heard the exclamation, "THAT.is.INCREDIBLE!!!!". Someone had just tried the relish.
"You'll have to give me the recipe for that!", "Oh my god!", "I don't even like beetroot, but that is delicious".
Since the first batch I have given away many jars and received numerous requests for the recipe. I love hearing appreciative stories of how it impressed the in-laws at a family gathering or how much someone enjoyed making it, or which farmer's market had the best beetroot.
To me, it encapsulates everything I love about food, the fact that the fresh ingredients were grown in family gardens, the willingness to share an abundance, the magic of turning beautiful fresh produce into something delectable.
With so much low quality, processed, 'convenience' food readily available, this is the sort of food that gets people thinking and talking about how important and enjoyable it is to eat fresh, quality food, preferably grown for free in your own backyard.
Ingredients:
1kg of fresh beetroot (about 5 large ones).
600g of Granny Smith apples (about 6)
2 large brown onions
400ml good white wine vinegar
100ml apple cider vinegar
2 cups of water
1 and a quarter cups (packed) of soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons of salt
a small bunch of fresh thyme
Method:
* Peel the beetroot and grate into a large saucepan (or use a food processor). I use a coarse grater. Wear gloves if you don't fancy having lovely purple hands.
* Peel and core the apples and grate them into the saucepan.
* Peel the onions and grate them into the saucepan.
* Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, lemon juice and water. Stir well to ensure all ingredients are evenly mixed.
* Rub the small bunch of thyme between your hands over the saucepan so that just the little leaves fall off (or strip them off if you're patient). If any little stalks fall into the mixture, pull them out.
* Place the saucepan on medium heat until all of the sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes) then stir, put a lid on the saucepan and turn the heat up to high.
* The mixture should be boiling for about half an hour or until the beetroot is very soft and there is only a little liquid at the bottom, which should be quite thick and syrupy. Stir often to ensure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
* Place about 6 clean, medium to large jars on a baking tray and put them in the oven for approximately 20 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius (without the lids).
* When the relish is ready, bring the jars out of the oven and, using an oven mitt, spoon the mixture into the jars whilst it is still hot.
* Screw the lids on firmly and turn the jars upside down for a few minutes, then stand them the right way up again and leave to cool. This process heats the lid and allows the jar to seal properly.
* When cool, wash the jars off. Label and date them.
* It is best to leave the relish in a cool dark place for about a month to allow the flavours to develop, but it is delicious even if you eat it straight away.
* Serve on crackers with a good quality blue cheese, on hamburgers instead of traditional beetroot slices or blend equal parts beetroot relish with cashews and sheep's feta for totally more-ish dip!
* Enjoy!
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