Who can resist adding a dollop of chutney, relish or pickle to a meal? It’s a guaranteed way to ‘elevate a less than exciting dish to an exalted one’ suggests author Rowan Bishop – and I agree.
Relish is an updated and expanded version of Bishop’s earlier book and now has over 100 recipes. She’s tweaked some of the recipes and added a new section that focuses on condiments such as dipping sauces, salsas, pestos and dressings. Many are influenced by recipes from other cultures, such as the Lebanese Toum, Ponzu Dipping Sauce for Asian dumplings, and the Mediterranean-inspired Baba Ganoush and Chermoula. Bishop has worked as a food writer for over 30 years. In Relish, she shares practical tips and even a few secrets (including a recipe for tempting reluctant little eaters to devour their veges).
Even if you’ve never attempted to make relishes or similar recipes, this book makes it easy. Bishop lives in New Zealand and knows what ingredients can be readily found here. You should be able to buy most of the ingredients listed in Relish at the supermarket and may already have many on hand. A glossary at the end of the book includes descriptions of, and methods for using, ingredients that may be less familiar. For example, tamarind concentrate and gochujang (a Korean chilli bean paste).
Each recipe indicates how many jars (or cups) you can expect to end up with. The Pickled Walnuts recipe, for example, fills 8–10 400g jars, and the Rocket Pesto yields around 1½ cups. Bishop also notes how long you can expect each product to last in the pantry or fridge. Some, such as the Quince Paste, will last for at least a year. Others, such as the Avocado, Hummus and Jalapeño Dip, should be used within a couple of days. The flavour of some relishes improves even more over time.
Bishop explains that, where possible, she’s reduced how much sugar a recipe needs. Even so, there’s still a significant amount of sugar in many recipes. However, given how much product each recipe yields, perhaps the amount of sugar per serve is reasonable. Fruit is the primary sweetener in some recipes, such as Lucy’s Date Salsa which includes an intriguing blend of dates, banana, citrus juice, chillies and ginger.
Unsure about the differences between chutney, pickles and relish? Bishop provides a helpful summary:
Chutneys are generally thicker and have a higher proportion of sugar. Relishes usually contain less sugar … and are of lighter consistency, and pickles typically contain less or sometimes no sugar, but more vinegar and salt.
Carolyn Robertson’s photography not only makes the end results look super enticing, it also shows what the finished product should look like – whether it be the chunky Eggplant Kasundi Pickle, the wonderfully thick and sticky Gingered Plum Jam, or the pink, pretty and fizzing Rhubarb Razzle.
The warm orange-gold ribbon bookmark is useful for identifying a favourite recipe (and the colour coordinates well with the book’s spine, as well as with the roast carrots on the cover).
Relish has four main sections: Chutneys, relishes & pickles, Preserves and sauces, Jammy things (including marmalades, sweet pastes, and curds), and Salsas, pestos, dips, dipping sauces & more. There are recipes for several drinks, including the tangy Italian Limoncello that Bishop suggests can also be drizzled as a sauce over ice-cream or other desserts.
Bishop encourages experimentation and substitution. Short-cuts, such as pre-grated ginger or canned tomatoes, are OK too. She hopes that readers will be inspired to make and share her relishes, pickles, chutneys and condiments with family and friends. A little goes a long way and every flavoursome dollop or spoonful will have a big impact:…even on a limited budget it’s possible to eat gourmet by adding that little bit extra, transporting the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Reviewer: Anne Kerslake Hendricks
Bateman Books