Olive Relish
The Muffuletta is a famous New Orleans sandwich, especially the version made at Central Grocery. A very important element that brings much of the flavor to the sandwich is this Olive Relish. This relish is also delicious as a topping on a cracker, or sprinkled over a pizza.
I make this in a food processor, and you can make this as chunky or as fine as you would like. I’ve learned that if you would like to make it chunkier, don’t fill the food processor more than half full.
Capers are a traditional ingredient that I listed as optional. I like capers, but they aren’t always easy to find in my area, and it’s only 1 small jar so I made it an option. I also listed pickled jalapeno’s as another option if you would like the relish to be a little hotter.
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 jars green olives with pimentos, drained
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano (or 3 Tbsp fresh)
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 2 Tbsp fresh)
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 jar kalamara olives, drained
- 1 jar regular Giardiniera, drained
- 1 jar hot Giardiniera, drained
- 1 jar pepperoncini, drained
- 1 jar capers, drained (optional)
- 1 cup, pickled Jalapenos (optional)
- Olive oil, to the right consistancy
Instructions
- In a food processor, chop the onion and garlic first to the desired size. Then add the green olives to the food processor and chop to the desired size.
- Add the seasonings to blend through.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, processing in batches until it is all done – if you would like the pieces larger, don’t fill the processor past half way.
- Put the processed relish in a large bowl and mix the ingredients together, then add the olive oil and mix, repeating until the mix reaches the desired consistency.
- Taste and add more black pepper if needed (there should be plenty of salt!)
- Pack the relish into the empty jars and top with some olive oil to prevent oxidation on the top.