Old-Fashioned Hamburger Relish

Yes, the pickle fetish is still going on, and I figure with the arrival of more and more fresh produce at the farmer's market and the real start to BBQ (and soon camping) season, I need to think of condiments.

Last week, I made corn relish - which incidentally turned out fantastic - so today I thought we'd go red and make a red relish.  I really am not a fan of the sweet green stuff, but the red it wonderful on a sausage or burger. This version is tangy and a bit tart with a hint of tomato and mustard and puts the commercial stuff to shame!

Old-Fashioned Hamburger Relish

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 mediumsweet green pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 medium sweet red or yellow pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

3 tablespoon kosher or pickling salt 

In large bowl, combine cucumbers, sweet peppers, celery, onion and salt

Cover with boiling water and let stand for 1 hour. Drain; rinse under cold water and drain well.

2 cups chopped seeded peeled tomatoes (canned is ok if you drain and seed)

2 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste

In large heavy saucepan, bring to boil tomatoes, vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne pepper, stirring often; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Stir in sugar, tomato paste and drained vegetables; bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently, stirring often, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Cooks Note:  For a thicker relish, make a slurry of 2 teaspoons flour dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water.  Add the slurry to the relish and bring to a boil to reach maximum thickness.  I like a thicker relish.

Fill and seal sterilized jars; process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Let jars cool to room temperature then store in a cool place for a few weeks before opening.