I spent another hot Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, my favorite place to be. This one was spent making Steve’s favorite pepper relish. My mom introduced him to it and, of course, hers was much better than mine could ever possibly be! But, time passes and with no mom to make it, my relish has to suffice as the zest needed to brighten grilled chicken or meat or add flavor to a winter’s everyday lunch sandwich or salad.
Bought the peppers straight from the field at Parson’s Farm Stand in Sharon Springs, New York. When I told Kenyon, the farmer, that I needed 18 of each color along with 16 onions, out to the fields we went so I wouldn’t deplete the stock piled in baskets on the stand. Could anything be fresher? I don’t think so! They were so beautiful that we started thinking about other things to do with them – a lovely sweet pepper bisque, some roasted peppers with mozzarella and evo and crusty bread, grilled with a hunk of salmon or a chicken breast, and the 1940s favorite Stuffed Bell Peppers. Once the latter came to mind we decided to go back to Kenyon later in the week and give the old school lunchroom special a place on our retro-menu.
Makes about sixteen 8-ounce jars
18 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and membrane removed
18 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and membrane removed
16 medium onions, peeled and cut into chunks
4 hot red or green chiles, stems and seeds removed
8 cups (2 quarts) white vinegar
5½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons coarse or pickling salt
Run the peppers, onions, and chiles through the medium blade of a food grinder or, alternately, through a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.
Place the pepper mixture into a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain well, discarding the liquid.
Transfer the pepper mixture to a large canning kettle or stockpot. Add 4 cups of the vinegar and 4 cups of cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and drain well, discarding the liquid.
Return the pepper mixture to the kettle and add the remaining 4 cups of vinegar along with the sugar and salt. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue to cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and pack into hot, sterilized jars. Seal and let cool before storing.
judithchoate.com 
Judie, I bought some kirbys at the farmers market last weekend and went onto this site to get the recipe for pickles. Since I was cooking for a party the next day, I also bought tons of baby carrots, red/green peppers, grape tomatoes, peaches…. It must have been karma because I found salad recipes for EVERYTHING on your site (and a great rustic peach pie that looked about as provencal and summery as anything I ate in Isle Sur La Sorgue…) The Tomato Ricotta salad was a snap to make, very pretty to look at, and immmediately devoured when I brought it out (even though I didn’t have ground sumac!) Same with the carrot salad, which was my favorite since I love cilantro and this has just the right blend of lemony cilantro and crunchy onions and sweet carrots. But the single GREATEST hit of the evening was the pepper relish. I was not even going to put it out on the table since I had just made it the day before, but someone found a jar and served it up in a dish. And in a snap, it was all/all gone and we opened a second jar. I finally had to give three of my four precious remaining jars away since friends would not leave without getting more. Only one jar left now so I’m not telling anyone else about it until I get back to the market next week. I felt like Julia Child for a night (or should I say Judie Choate!) Keep up the great recipes. You’re building me a great reputation 🙂
Oh, my goodness, flattery will get you anywhere! Thanks so much for such inspired comments. So glad that the recipes worked for you and for your guests. The relish comes from my mom and it is nice to see it moving out in the internet world. It is a wonderful way to enjoy summer in the middle of winter – particularly on a grilled cheese sandwich – particularly a sharp cheddar one!
I’ll keep trying to bring great recipes to the site – try the corn chowder – think you will like it, particularly if your farmers market corn is sweet and tender.
Happy cooking!