Raisin Pinenut Relish Recipes

SWEET AND SAVORY PINE NUT RELISH

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Add tomatoes, pine nuts and cilantro to apricot mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

RISOTTO WITH WILD MUSHROOMS, PINE NUTS AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• 1. For the risotto: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the pine nuts and set aside. Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, onion and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not brown, about 15 minutes.
• 2. Increase the heat to high and stir in the rice. Cook, stirring, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and keep stirring until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Lower the heat, add a ladle of warm broth (about 1/2 cup) and a pinch of salt to the pot. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Keep adding the broth, one ladle at a time, stirring until each portion is absorbed. Continue until the rice is soft and creamy with just a little bite (al dente), 25 to 30 minutes total. Stir in the butter, Parmesan and mascarpone. Stir in toasted pine nuts.
• 3. For the topping: Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened but still meaty, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• 4. Divide the risotto between 4 bowls. Top with the mushrooms and parsley. Serve warm.

RAISIN-PINENUT RELISH

Steps:

• Lightly toast the pinenuts in a skillet over medium-high heat. Be careful to not toast them too much as they will take on a bitter flavor. Set aside.
• Pour the oil into the hot skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-high heat until golden, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Add the raisins and the vinegar. Reduce the heat and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vinegar has reduced by half and the raisins are plump. Add the peppers, followed by the anchovies, 1/2 cup water, and pinenuts. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for another 10 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Once the relish has dried, add the oregano and stir well. Allow to cool completely before using. Keeps well if refrigerated for up to 1 week.

GRILLED SWORDFISH WITH OLIVE, PINE NUT AND GOLDEN RAISIN RELISH AND GRILLED ROMAINE SALAD WITH SUMAC HONEY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add the golden raisins to a small bowl. Cover with 1/4 cup boiling water and allow to sit for 10 minutes to rehydrate and plump. Remove the raisins but reserve the liquid.
• Heat a small saucepan over low heat with the butter. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pine nuts and reserved raisins and stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of the reserved raisin liquid. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the olives and chopped lemon, toss in the chives and season with salt. If the mixture gets too thick, you can add a little more of the liquid from the golden raisins. The relish should be thick and homogenous, but not too thin or saucy.
• Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Drizzle the swordfish steaks on both sides with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the swordfish onto the grill and cook without moving the fish for 2 minutes. When the fish starts to pull away from the pan, you know it's ready to turn. Turn the fish 90 degrees to create a crosshatch. Grill for another 2 minutes. Flip the fish, then repeat on the other side. Remove the fish onto a sheet tray lined with a rack. Transfer into the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
• Drizzle the romaine lettuce with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the lettuce onto the grill, cut side down, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, then grill for another 2 minutes. Cut the grilled lettuce into 1-to 2-inch pieces and add to a large bowl along with the radishes and feta cheese.
• Add the white wine vinegar, lemon juice, 1/2 cup oil, honey and sumac to a small bowl. Whisk to combine until emulsified. Season with salt. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the grilled romaine salad. Gently toss to combine. There will be leftover vinaigrette - it can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• To serve, top the grilled swordfish with some of the olive, pine nut and raisin relish. Drizzle with oil. Serve alongside the grilled romaine lettuce.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER STEAKS WITH GOLDEN RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the cauliflower steaks on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping after the first 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pine nuts to a dry medium saute pan and toast over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Add the raisins and the butter, and season with salt. Cook until the butter has melted and coats the pine nuts and raisins. Off the heat, stir in the parsley.
• Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving platter. Pour the pine nut-raisin mixture over the top.

CUCUMBER AND RAISIN RELISH WITH MUSTARD SEEDS

Steps:

• Bring vinegar, brown sugar, salt, mustard powder, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium pot over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar and salt dissolve, about 5 minutes.
• Place cucumber, onion, raisins, and mustard seeds in a heatproof resealable container. Pour hot brining liquid over cucumber mixture; stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving. Serve cool or at room temperature.

CURRANT-PINE NUT RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toast the pine nuts for about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they're golden brown and smell nutty.
• Heat a small sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the olive oil, rosemary, and chile. When the rosemary and chile start to sizzle, add the onion and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat down to low, and let the onions stew gently for about 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a small bowl to cool and discard the rosemary sprig and chile.
• While the onion is cooking, place the currants in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let the currants soak for 10 minutes, and then drain well.
• Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan the onions were in, and reduce it over medium-high heat to a scant 1 tablespoon. Stir the reduced vinegar into the onion mixture.
• Add the toasted pine nuts, currants, and parsley to the onion mixture, and stir to combine. Taste for balance and seasoning.

SAUTEED SPINACH WITH RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Place golden raisins in a small bowl, and cover with 3/4 cup warm water; set aside. Remove any tough stems from spinach, and wash thoroughly. Set aside.
• Place a wide, 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat, and add olive oil. Add garlic, and saute for 1 minute. Add pine nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain the reserved raisins, and add them to pan. Add spinach, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, just until spinach has wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

PAN-FRIED EGGPLANT WITH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA, WHITE ANCHOVIES, AND RAISIN-PINENUT RELISH

Steps:

• Distribute the eggplant on a sheet pan in one layer and generously salt on both sides. Lay another sheet pan on top of the eggplant and place a heavy object on top to add pressure. Set aside for 1 hour. Remove the weight and transfer the eggplant to paper towels and pat dry.
• Add the oil to a large hot skillet, making sure to cover the entire bottom of the pan with about 1/8 inch of oil. Add the eggplant just before the oil starts to smoke-it should sizzle as the eggplant is dropped in and the eggplant should brown pretty quickly. Once the eggplant is golden on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes, remove from the oil and transfer to paper towels. Allow the eggplant to come to room temperature or to cool completely.
• Grill the bread slices on one side only. Rub the grilled side of 4 of the slices with the garlic. Top with the eggplant, followed by the mozzarella, the anchovies, and the relish. Top with the remaining 4 slices, cut into halves, and serve.

CURRANT AND PINE NUT RELISH

Steps:

• Warm the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the onion, chile, and rosemary, and season with the salt. Sauté, stirring often to prevent the onion from browning, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent it browning.
• Meanwhile, place the currants in a small saucepan. Add the vinegar, making sure there is enough to cover. Bring the vinegar to a simmer over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and plump. Add the currants and vinegar to the sauté pan with the onion. If there is so much vinegar that the relish is runny, bring the vinegar to a boil over medium-high heat and boil it until there is just enough liquid to bind the currants. Turn off the heat and allow the currants to cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the chile and rosemary and stir in the pine nuts just before serving. Note: In order to ensure that they keep their crunchy texture, you want to add pine nuts only to the amount of relish you will be using at the time. Transfer the remaining relish to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.

CURRANT-AND-PINE-NUT RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet just until pale golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine currants, saffron, and hot water, adding more water as needed to just cover currants; let stand 10 minutes. Strain, reserving saffron water.
• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Add celery, onion, chile, and fennel seeds; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is soft and sticky but not taking on any color, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard chile. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl.
• Pulse currants in a food processor 3 to 4 times, just until coarsely chopped. Add pine nuts and pulse 2 more times (mixture should be chunky and sticky). Stir currant mixture into onion mixture. Stir in saffron water, a little at a time, until relish has desired consistency; season to taste.