Sweet and Spicy: Red Bell Pepper Relish Recipe

My friend Jenn from Bread + Butter put out a call to her Food Blogging friends to participate in a “Blogger Secret Ingredient” Challenge. Everyone had until today to post a recipe using bell peppers. Like the slacker I am I waited until today to make my recipe. But I must say, just because I waited until the last minute doesn’t mean my entry is sad or pathetic. Quite the opposite if I do say so myself. What I present to you and Jenn is a recipe (the winning recipe ;)) for “Red Bell Pepper Relish”.

It was very easy to make and fabulous to eat to say the least. I plan on buying some cute canning jars and making a big batch of this relish and give them away as gifts. This sweet and savory relish would be great poured on brie, cream cheese, or straight up served with crackers. Or in my case, pretzels. The addition of red pepper flakes gives this relish a nice little tingly heat burn on the tongue that is not too hot but enough to tantalize your tastebuds. This is so much better than anything you can buy in the store. Enjoy!

Red Bell Pepper Relish Recipe
(yields 3/4 cup of relish)
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper (or any other type of bell pepper), chopped in small pieces
1/2 onion, chopped in small pieces
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (if you like less heat, use 1/4 tsp. If you like more heat, add 1/4 tsp.)

Directions:
Add everything to a small sauce pan and stir all the ingredients until well incorporated. Cook the relish on medium heat for 5 minutes and turn down the heat to medium-low for an  additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has reduced. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.