I LOVE A GOOD STADIUM HOT DOG. TO ME, THE PERFECT dog is served in a squishy bun and dressed with mustard, relish, and chopped onions (dispensed in bulk from a stainless steel container with a rotary handle that controls the output). This relish tastes just like my memory of that stadium stuff, only I know everything that went into it. Plus, it uses up piles of produce, which is a huge plus in July or August.
6 cups/890 g chopped green bell pepper (about 8 whole peppers)
6 cups grated zucchini (about 3 pounds zucchini)
2½ cups grated onion (about 2 large onions)
4 cups/960 ml apple cider vinegar, divided
2 cups/400 g granulated sugar
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Prepare a boiling water bath and 5 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Combine the chopped bell pepper, zucchini, and onion in a large, nonreactive pot. Stir in 2 cups/480 ml of the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the vegetables have cooked down, about 30 minutes.
Drain the vegetables and return to the pot. Add the remaining apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Ladle the relish into the prepared jars, leaving ½ inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see page 11).
When the processing time is up, remove the canning pot from the heat and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes. This helps to prevent the relish from reacting to the rapid temperature change and bubbling out of the jars.