Pantry Pickle Relish for Hot Dog Season

File this under the semi-homemade if you'd like.  The internet is clogged with recipes for truly homemade pickle relish that first requires you to make your own pickles.  We wanted one that could be put together in minutes using already canned and preserved pure ingredients.

Instead of starting with cucumbers, we start with your favorite jar of pickles.  We like dill pickle chips; you might like bread & butter pickles instead.  Roasted red bell peppers are the other main ingredient, either jarred or your own.  Heat seekers reading this are already making the leap.... your favorite hot pepper can be used in place of or in addition to red bell peppers.  Try jarred peppadews for a sweet/hot flavor or pickled jalepeños for a serious kick, for example. 

The ratio of pickles to peppers is about 2:1.  You can adjust this up or down to suit your tastes.  The great thing about using pure ingredients to create your own condiments is that you get to use your own taste buds to find your favorite flavor balance.  Design your own Pantry Pickle Relish and bring it to the next grilling party.

Pantry Pickle Relish
Base recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups relish

Ingredients
1 16-ounce jar dill pickle chips, drained
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
Optional: pinch cayenne pepper

Method

1. Place drained pickles in a food processor.  
2. Roughly chop roasted red peppers and place in food processor with pickles.  
3. Process/Pulse a few times until you reach the desired rough or fine chop for relish.  
4. Taste.  Add cayenne if desired.  
5. Serve immediately or pack in sealed container and use within 4-5 days. 

At our house, this pickle relish is de rigueur on grilled hot dogs with a smear of Dijon mustard.  You can also use pickle relish in egg salad, ham salad or mix it with a bit of mayonnaise to slather on a fried fish sandwich.  One of my sisters would put this in potato salad, I'll bet.