My Favorite Grill Relish

I published this on Twitter a while back, but then one of my Twitter buddies, local conservationist and activist Brent Bolin (@bcbolin) took advantage of one of our early humid DC spring days to grill up some asparagus, tuna and meat over mesquite.  He used vegetables from his CSA order to make up a batch of my favorite fresh relish for grilled foods.  I understand that some of ya’ll like exact measurements and techniques, but when things are dear to my heart, its hard to translate that kind of accuracy!  I’ll do my best.  I want to thank Brent in advance for use of his fantastic pics—and I love it when people cook my recipes up and give praise.  He thought this was delicious!

Tomato Note: If you are growing your heirloom tomatoes with recipes in mind–which is always the best plan–Cherokee purples, Large Reds, Brandywines, Green Germans (note I don’t say green tomatoes in the recipe–as not to confuse the novice), Orange Oxheart and good old Beefsteaks are really good for this recipe.  Play with it–you can use tomatoes of different colors in the same recipe.

Thanks Brent!

Grill Relish

2 medium sized juicy red, pink or yellow tomatoes chopped into small chunks

3 scallions/green onions thinly sliced–top to bottom, green/white and all

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

3 tablespoons of flat leafed parsley

1 teaspoon of ground Saigon cinnamon (you can substitute ground cumin, coriander or curry depending on your taste)

1/4 teaspoon of ground hot pepper or a chopped small hot pepper

1 teaspoon of sugar in the raw, agave, coconut sugar, etc.

kosher or sea salt and coarse black pepper to taste

You got it–mix it together!  Let it chill for an hour or four.  Spoon over your grilled meat, fish, seafood or vegetables.  This recipe is not meant to keep more than 2-3 days covered in a non-reactive container, so make it in small batches  You can use significant leftovers in a dressing–blend it up or macerate well and add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and whisk it together and toss with a green lettuce or mesculun salad.

Enjoy!