Roasted Vegetable Relish

The wife and I have been making this side dish for a while now and it’s become one of our favorites. It slowly evolved from our grilled ratatouille recipe into it’s own dish.

We’ve served it to many people and everyone always asks for the recipe, so here it is.

Purists will argue that this isn’t technically a relish. They’re probably right, but what else should I call it? Anyway, here’s everything you need:

Vegetable Relish

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 shallots, chopped
• ½ head garlic, chopped
• 4 large (or 6 small) ears corn, shucked
• 3 poblano peppers
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow & orange)
• 1 red onion
• 2 zucchini
• 1 large tomato
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can black eyed peas, drained
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper

Vinaigrette

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Zest from ½ lemon

Cooking Instruction

Slice the zucchini and onion into ¼ inch pieces so they grill evenly. Place all of the vegetables (except the garlic and shallots) in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle on some kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper. Mix well to make sure all the vegetables are coated with oil. Next, grill all vegetables and peppers over high, direct heat until they’re a little charred and relatively soft. Take them off before they get mushy. The corn will take the longest to cook and you might need to cook them indirectly if the ears start to bur too much. I usually cook them for about 10 minutes over direct heat and then move them to the elevated grates so they roast. Take the peppers off the grill when they’re charred on all sides and let them cool in a sealed ziplock bag. As the vegetables finish cooking, return them to the large bowl.

While the vegetables are on the grill, saute the minced garlic and shallots in 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-low heat until the pieces are brown around the edges.

Drain and rinse the black-eyed peas and black beans.

When the peppers are manageable, peel the skins off, remove the seeds, and dice them. Stand the corn cobs vertically and use a knife to cut off the kernels. All of the remaining vegetables should be diced into similar-sized pieces. Mix the vinaigrette in a separate bowl. Finally, add everything into a large bowl and mix well. Serve at room temperature or slightly cooled.

The best part about this recipe isn’t that it’s delicious; it’s very healthy. I usually make it a day ahead. It only gets better with time. Sometimes we crumble in some Ricotta Salata (a salty cheese made from sheep’s milk) to the cooled relish and it adds a creamy taste and texture.

You can really play around with this recipe by using whatever you have on hand. Swap out the corn and beans for some diced cucumber, olives and balsamic vinegar for a Greek/Italian flair, or add diced squash, eggplant and red wine vinegar for a French version. You really can’t go wrong. If you come up with some creative combinations, please share them in the comments.

In case you’re wondering what that sandwich is in the top picture, it’s our homemade Italian beef. These two dishes go great together.