Molina’s Mexican Restaurant Relish
I’ve been digging through recipes today looking for a recipe to make a carrot and onion relish we used to eat in Houston. This relish was served at Molina’s Mexican restaurant . . . a few years back. If I remember correctly - the original restaurant was located on Westheimer. When you’d go in they would seat you and then bring out a dish piled high with this relish along with a basket of warm, crisp tortilla chips and it was delicious. Like all my favorite restaurant recipes – this one was clipped from the Houston Chronicle courtesy Rose Mary Molina. It keeps well in the fridge if you have any leftover.
You will need:
- 2 carrots sliced in the round
- 2 onions sliced in rings
- 1 jalapeno pepper sliced in rounds
- 2 garlic cloves – sliced
- Salt, ground black pepper and 1 bay leaf
- White vinegar (45-grain strength,i.e. 4.5 – 5% acidity)
Place the sliced carrots on the bottom of a saucepan; next place the sliced onions, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaf on top. Add enough of the vinegar to just cover. Bring to a boil the reduce the heat, simmering over low heat until the vegetables are cooked (but not mushy – you want them to be a little crisp). Store in a glass container with a screw on lid. Refrigerate.
In addition to an appetizer, it is good mixed with boiled shrimp or sandwich relish.
Note – cut the jalapeno pepper with caution; do not rub your eyes until you have washed your hands thoroughly; and remember if you want the relish a little less hot – remove the seeds.
Pear tree update – they seem to be doing fine and are starting to put out little leaf buds. When the rain stops we’ll need to put up a wire fence around them to keep the deer from eating all the new growth off.
