Processing: Boiling Water Canner
15mins (half-pint)
20 mins (pint)
Storage:
12 months +
Yield:
7 x cups per batch
A delicious relish packed with beetroot, sweet red peppers, red onion, raw sugar and cider vinegar .... enjoy on crackers with ricotta and a spoonful of this yummy relish on top!
Ingredients:
2 pounds (900g) fresh beetroot
water
water
2 cups finely diced red onion
4 cups finely diced sweet red peppers (capsicum)
2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
1 cup raw sugar
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
Prepare beetroot.
Wash beetroot, scrubbing gently to remove dirt. Drain. Place into a pan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil then boil for 20-30 minutes (depending on their size) until cooked. While they boil you can prepare the other ingredients. Once cooked, the beetroot will be easy to cut (but still hold their shape). Drain and leave to cool until cool enough to handle. Cut away both ends and cut away skin then finely dice the beetroot.
Prepare red onion and sweet peppers.
Finely dice and measure the red onions and sweet red peppers and place into a large saucepan ready for use. Also measure the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper into the pan.
Prepare jars.
Prepare jars by covering in water and boiling for 10 minutes.
Add finely diced beetroot into the pot with the other ingredients.
Now all of the ingredients are in the pan (except for the lemon juice), bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated, concentrating the flavour of the relish. Taste and add extra salt and pepper if required. Stir in the lemon juice at the end and taste to check flavours.
Prepare lids.
While the relish is simmering, place the lids into a pan of previously boiling water. Do not simmer or boil, just let the lids heat through in the few minutes while you make the preserve and then fill the jars, removing the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
Ladle hot relish into hot jars.
Immediately spoon hot relish into hot jars, leaving a 1/2 inch (1cm) headspace. Remove bubbles, wipe rims and seal.
Boiling water canner processing.
Process in boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes (half-pints) or 20 minutes (pints). Start the timer once the water returns to a full boil. When the time is up, turn the heat off and rest the jars in the water for 5 minutes before placing onto a towel-covered bench overnight to cool.
Next day: check for seals.
Check jars have sealed before labelling and storing in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 12 months. Jar lids should not flex up nor down when pressed. If jars have not sealed by the next day, refrigerate and use within 6 weeks - or bring back to a boil and process in hot jars with new lids.
NOTES:
- Vinegar must have an acidity of 5% or higher (check label before use to confirm)
- You can use pickling (or canning) salt instead of kosher salt
- Serve this relish with a salty cheese ie ricotta or camembert
- A half-pint jar is approximately 1-cup capacity, a pint jar is approximately 2-cup capacity
For more photos of this recipe, visit HERE
