Red Pepper and Eggplant Relish

If you're looking for a tasty topping for baked potatoes, hamburgers, or just about anything else your heart desires, here is a recipe I have been working on.

My wife doesn't like onions, but I would probably add them, if that option were available to me.

With eggplant in ample quantities as well as red bell peppers, get the freshest ingredients impossible to make this delicious side dish or topping.

Red Pepper and Eggplant Relish

3 red bell peppers, stems in
1 large eggplant, stem in
½ whole fresh garlic, cloves still attached to root
½ cup of green olives, quartered
¼ cup red wine vinegar (other vinegars may be substituted as desired)
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce (or to taste)
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place whole red peppers and eggplant in roasting pan.  Prepare the eggplant by cutting a line from end to end, barely penetrating the skin.  Cut two or three lines, dividing the eggplant into two or three sections.  The lines will help when peeling the eggplant after it has been roasted.

Prepare garlic by clipping off the tips of the cloves, still attached at the root.

After 10-15 minutes of roasting, place garlic cloves (still attached to root and unpeeled) alongside the vegetables in the roasting pan.  Roast garlic until soft.

While roasting, prepare green olives by quartering them, and then set them aside.

After roasting, allow vegetables to cool for at least 15 minutes, or longer if necessary, to permit ease of handling and peeling.

Remove stems from peppers, but do not remove loose seeds.  Dice peppers and place them in a medium-size mixing bowl.

Slice off the tips of both ends of the eggplant, and peel it.  Dice eggplant in 1/8” to ¼” size, and place in mixing bowl.  It is not necessary to seed the eggplant.

Squeeze garlic cloves into the bowl.  Remove any skins that fall into the bowl.

Add olives and all liquid ingredients, and mix with wooden spoon.
Salt to taste.

Cover bowl and refrigerate for a few hours for a better blend of flavors.

Use as toppings or relishes.  Tastes great on a baked potato with nonfat Greek yogurt, instead of sour cream.

Makes about 1 pint.

Article Author: ToddT

Todd Thompson is a consultant in the security industry for 2M Solutions, managing building integration projects for new construction in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Before launching a new career in security technology, Todd was a Facilities Director in a large public school district. …

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