A new neighbour of mine who has just moved over from Chicago asked if i could make Chicago Hot Dog relish. I found a recipe on the next last night and made a batch today. When I look at the relishes that are for sale on the internet, they are a vivid green. Mine is a very muted green. Does anyone know if food colouring is used to get this vivid shade of green.
It tastes excellent, my neighbour gave it the thumbs up, but my better half says it's no good if it doesn't look vivid green lol lol lol
Please post your recipe then maybe someone can help !!
Anything that shade of green is artificially colored, rest assured. Why else would it be neon colored?
Cucumber Relish
4 cups ground, unpeeled cucumber ( about 4)
1 cup ground green pepper- seeded of course ( about 2)
1/2 cup ground sweet red pepper ( about 1)
3 cups ground onion
3 cups finely diced celery
1/4 cup salt( use canning salt)
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 Cups Heinz white vinegar
1 tbsp. celery seed
1 tbsp mustard seed
Use the coarse blade of a grinder. Combine all veggies in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt, cover with cold water and let stand for 4 hours.
Drain thoroughly in a colander and press out all excess liquid.
Combine the sugar, vinegar, celery seed adn mustard seed. Bring to boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in drained veggies, simmer for 10 minutes.
Pack into pint canning jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Put on canning lid and band.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. This makes 5-6 pints.
Make sure that you don't boil the filled jars too hard or the celery seed might become stuck between the lid and jar rim which would prevent the jars from sealing.
I hope this is what you were looking for!
For sure it's food coloring. I've made relish for years and really don't like the thought of neon green relish. Homemade is always the best.
Don't even worry about the color! Unnatural green is actually unappealing, imo.
I don't like the idea of food colouring myself, but I am doing a batch for my Farmers Market Stall and Steve said people would not associated it with Chicago style relish if it wasn't neon green
Thanks for the replies ladies
Give out samples of your home made version, which I'm sure you are already aware of. Once people taste it they will realize that they have the real deal.....fake neon colors be damned!
I always make a sample tray of anything new I'm doing. Going to cut some hot dogs up and put them on cocktail sticks. I believe that true Chicago hot dogs are all beef, so i'm going to use Hebrew National. I did a sample tray of my pepper jam for a few markets last year and now i can't make enough of it.
Well, there you go girl!!!! I wish you the best of luck today, I'm sure you'll knock their socks off. I'm with you in spirit, let us know how things turn out! It's a great deal of work, but also a lot of fun.....
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