Fennel, Celery and Red Onion Relish

I had the pleasure of attending my first Barbeque of 2015 last weekend. I was invited to the shin dig by my friend Saul whom I have known for 25 years! We met as baby adults working at Bergdorf Goodman in the 90’s. The party was being thrown by Saul’s boyfriend, Keith, in his fabulous backyard garden.

I was excited to make this fennel, celery and red onion relish for the party. It is my idea of a perfect relish for hot dogs or hamburgers. I know that many New Yorkers are disgusted by the idea of putting anything but mustard on a hot dog. Well pipe down people. I like relish, and I’ll put it on my hotdog if I feel like it.

FENNEL, CELERY AND RED ONION RELISH

20 ounces total trimmed fennel, celery and red onion (1 small bulb fennel, 3 stalks celery 1 small red onion)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoons fennel seeds, roughly cracked
1 teaspoons celery seeds, roughly cracked
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

Dice the vegetables very fine. You should have about 4 cups total of diced vegetables.
Combine diced vegetables, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, salt, fennel seeds, celery seeds, red chili flakes, and black pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Cook the relish at a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced some.
Add lemon zest and juice and stir to combine.
Let the relish cool before putting it in a sealed container in the fridge. It’s good to give it an hour to blend flavours before serving. It will improve with age.

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