zippy, spicy relish...

Last year, son Derek had bought a jar of something called Millionaire Relish at our local farmers market. It was a corn zucchini relish preserve that was nice but it was incredibly sweet and he asked me if I could come up with something like it without all the sugar. I started off with a recipe off the internet that was called Zippy Zucchini Relish from ‘Canadian Living’ and I used stevia/krisda as the sweetener. It turned out okay and we ate it and missed it when it was gone. I could hardly wait for the zucchini to get big enough to try it again this year.
I made a batch, looking at my notes from last year. I noted that it was a little dry, needs more sauce. I personally hate recipes that don’t have exact amounts – like, 4 zucchinis, 3 onions…how big are they? How much do I need? So I’ve kept track. The original recipe had red peppers and I can’t eat peppers so I substituted corn. Also the original told you to use the food processor to make ‘rice’ of the zucchini. I thought this was a disaster – there was too much big chunks and too much small stuff that escaped from the colander when it was time to drain it…the second time, I opted to chop it by hand, aiming for ¼ inch dice for all pieces that would sort of match the size of the corn kernels. I also added fresh grated ginger which is wonderful! My first batch this year was pretty good and then I got the brainwave to grill the corn instead of throwing it raw in with the rest of the raw vegetables to stew – OMG! You won’t believe what a difference that makes! Anyway, here is my perfected final recipe – it’s sugar-free, low salt, gluten free  –  great on burgers, dogs, any grilled meat! enjoy!

4 small zucchinis (12 inch) cut into  1/4 inch cubes (8 C total)

1 large Vidalia and 1 large red onion, chopped  (4C total)
1/8 cup pickling salt
Put in large stainless-steel or glass bowl; stir to blend. Let stand for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Drain well; rinse and drain again.
Make sauce: in heavy saucepan large enough to hold all (Dutch oven) combine:
Krisda  - 4 packets (each packet is 2 tsp equivalent)
2 C white vinegar
1/2 C cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp celery seeds
1.5 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 Tbsp hot pepper flakes
Bring to boil. Add drained vegetables; reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
While this is happening, grill 6 ears fresh peaches and cream corn – leave in the husk, grill on medium heat, 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Let corn cool. Remove husks and silks. Cut kernels off and break apart. (6 C total)
Add corn to cooked vegetables. If it looks dry, add ½ to 1 C water.

Mix 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cool water and stir into relish; simmer, stirring, mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
Pack into 12- 1 cup (250 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles, readjusting headspace if necessary. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.