anders ousback's grilled pepper relish

the first time i had this was july 1st, 1999, 13 years ago. i was at simon johnson's pyrmont store for the vogue cookbook launch and need i tell you that it was delicious? it was served with a beautiful artisan sourdough baguette and the creamiest ripe brie.

8 large red capsicums, halved and seeded.
olive oil
3 teaspoons cracked peppercorns
3 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
3 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 knobs ginger, peeled and shredded
3 chillies, finely sliced
2 large onions, diced
2 large apples, peeled and diced
6 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 bay leaves
4 tablespoons currants
4 tablespoons honey
200ml port
200ml white wine vinegar
sea salt to taste

preheat the oven to 200°C. place the capsicums, cut side down, on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes or until the skins start to blister. cool, slip off the skins and slice into long strips. set aside.

place a little olive oil into a heavy based saucepan and roast the peppercorns, mustard and corriander. add the garlic, ginger, chilli and onion and cook until the onions are translucent. add the apple and cook a further 10 minutes.

add the tomato, bay leaves, currants, honey, port, vinegar, salt and capsicums and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the mixture has thickened. remove from the stove and spoon the relish into warm sterilised jars. seal whilst hot and allow to cool. store in the refrigerator or a cool cupboard.

whisks' eggplant chutney

having just run out of my favourite indian wedding pickles, i decided to whip up a batch of my favourite eggplant chutney so i'd have something on hand to liven up my sandwiches and cheese platters. add salt and sugar at your discretion, but remember that you want it to be well flavoured.

1/2 cup salt
1 kilo skinny eggplants
water
2 large onions
1/4 cup crystalised ginger, chopped
5 red chillies, chopped
5 cloved garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
4 teaspoons madras curry powder (or a mixture of ground cumin, coriander, fennel)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup your choice of dried fruit

cut the eggplant into 1 cm cubes, combine with the salt and cover with water. leave overnight. next day, drain and rinse the eggplant, squeezing out as much water as possible.
place the eggplant, onion, ginger, chillies, garlic, salt and oil in a large stockpot stir to coat ingredients with oil and place on a low to medium flame. stir frequently to avoid the relish from sticking to the base of the pot. once the onions and eggplant are soft,sprinkle in the curry powder, sugar, vinegar and dried fruit. cook a further 10-15 minutes. pour into sterelised jars and seal whilst hot.

eggplant relish

i call this eggplant relish very loosely. i put tons of things in it, eggplant being one of them. i have always loved chutneys, relishes and pickles, especially when they are homemade; very often, bought ones have something lacking, although there are good ones around. this one is one of my very favourites because i've put in all the flavours i so adore in chutneys. i admit to not using the recipe faithfully - sometimes one has to wing it with whatever is on hand - approximations are fine as long as there's enough vinegar and sugar.
we love this with cheese, sliced meats and sandwiches.

1 kg eggplant, cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 chillies, seeded and sliced
1 red capsicum, diced
1/2 head garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons curry powder
1 orange, sliced thinly and chopped
1 cup dried apricots, diced
1 cup dates
1/2 cup crystalised ginger, diced
1/2 sultanas
1/2 cup currants
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
salt to taste

commence preparations the day before by soaking the diced eggplant in well salted water.
next day, rinse the eggplant well and squeeze and much moisture from them as possible.
heat oil in a large stockpot and add the onions, garlic, capsicum and chillies. stir over a low flame and allow the onions to soften. add the eggplant and stir to coat with the oil. allow to simmer until the eggplant has fully cooked. add the curry powder, orange, apricots, dates, ginger, sultanas and currants. stir well to combine. add the vinegar and sugar and allow to simmer over low heat for about half an hour. stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from catching. add salt if neccesary.
bottle in sterilised jars and seal immediately.