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Makes 1 large jar
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
- 500g thick, smoked bacon rashers, diced into 5mm pieces
- 4 medium red onions (about 500g), thinly sliced
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 5ml yellow mustard seeds
- 80ml sweet sherry (such as Old Brown), optional*
- 125ml apple cider vinegar
- 125ml light brown sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 3ml cayenne pepper
1. Fry the diced bacon over medium heat until crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and reserve the fat in the pan (you’ll only need about 45ml; you can discard the rest).
2. Fry the onions, garlic, chilli and mustard seeds together in the bacon fat for about 10 minutes. The onions should just start to colour.
3. Stir in the sherry and loosen all the cooked bits at the bottom of the pan. Reduce the liquid by half. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the bacon back into the pan and cook until thick and syrupy (about 10 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent it from burning.
4. Spoon the relish into a sterilised jar, seal and cool. Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavours to develop. The relish will keep in the fridge for a week but believe me, it won’t last that long – it’s so delicious spread on a slice of hot bread, as a glaze on grilled pork bangers, or served with a cheese platter.
*omit the sherry or substitute it with water.
