You may recall that last  week I muddled my dates and prepared a Rustic Farmhouse Terrine for a Father’s Day lunchtime charcuterie plate a whole week early. The success of that terrine was undisputed. It was enjoyed with great gusto disappearing at lightning speed accompanied by a sweet and spicy beetroot relish.The terrine may be long gone, but I managed to squirrel away a back up jar of that relish for this weekend. A very worthy side kick that is fast becoming our family’s new favourite pantry staple, alongside  the already indisputably popular jars of confit garlic, caramelised onions, and tomato chilli jam that regularly amp up the flavour of any humble meal..

All this week we have been slathering  huge tablespoons of leftover piquant beetroot relish into our sandwiches. My son swears it adds serious street cred to a mean ham and cheese toastie. Slightly sweet and sour with a chilli kick it’s obviously the stuff of a teenage boy’s dreams (and his dad). So much so that this delightful relish will star in my take on the quintessential Australian burger  at our Father’s Day barbecue this weekend.

Spicy Beetroot Relish
Makes sufficient to fill one large 500ml jar

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, finely diced
1 heaped tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 long red chilli, finely minced
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup cider  vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
3 medium sized beetroot, scrubbed, peeled and coarsely grated
1 large green granny smith apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

HEAT  oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, add onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft and transparent. Do not allow the onion to caramelise.
ADD ginger and chilli. Cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant, stirring often to ensure ginger doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
ADD the brown sugar, vinegar and apple juice. Cook stirring  until the sugar dissolves. Then add the grated beetroot and apple, stirring well to combine. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
BRING mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, on low for 30-45 minutes until thick and syrupy.  Timing will depend on the size of your pan, and how thick you like your relish remembering it will continue to thicken as it cools. Use a simmer mat, if you have one, to prevent the relish from sticking to the bottom of the pan as it reduces.
REMOVE from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before spooning into a sterilized jar.