Relishes, Pestos & Salsas

Fresh Cranberry Relish
Mom invented this recipe for fresh cranberry relish; it's as lovely to look at as it is delicious. I make it every Thanksgiving and hope there's enough left over for putting on turkey sandwiches afterwards! It also tastes great with ham. Note: you will need a grinder or a mixer with a grinder attachment. Prep time: about 45 min.

2 12 oz. packages fresh cranberries
1 navel orange, with skin on
2 granny smith apples, cored and diced into ½ -inch pieces
1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 cup sugar

1) Wash the cranberries and pull out stems and squishy berries.
2) Grind the berries on a coarse grind.
3) Quarter the orange (leave the skin on!) and feed through grinder.
4) Add the pineapple and diced apples
5) Add the sugar, mix.

Will keep for a week if refrigerated.

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Mom's Salsa
This recipe was taught to my mother by our neighbor Rosa Elena Polit, and it became Mom's favorite salsa -- I added the lime juice and jalapeño peppers to make it even zippier. It makes about 5 cups and must be kept refrigerated; does not freeze well.

2 26 oz. cans diced tomatoes (don't add all of the juice)
4 oz. can chopped green chilis
2 bunches scallions, chopped
all or part of a 4 oz. can diced jalepenos, or 1-4 fresh jalapeños, diced
juice of one lime
10-30 leaves cilantro, coarsely shopped

Combine in a bowl and serve with corn tortilla chips. Can also be used as a sauce over eggs, salads, meats, etc.

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Connie's Red Bell Pepper Pesto
Connie writes: "After years of being too busy to have a dinner party, I finally jumped back into the fray with this easy recipe. It was a big hit -- 2 couples wouldn't leave my house until they got the recipe!"

3 med. red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, stemmed and seeded (can use canned)
2 med. garlic cloves
1 c. and 2 Tbsp. olive oil (can get away with less!)
¾ c. pitted black olives
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
½ c. packed fresh parsley leaves
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt

Put all the ingredients into a food processor. Turning machine on and off rapidly, pulse the ingredients several times until coarsely chopped. Scrape down the work bowl. Then process continuously until the sauce is smooth. If the pesto seems too thick, pulse in a little hot water.

Toss with delicate-medium strands of pasta, the moment the pasta has been drained. It looks great with spinach pasta!

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