Grand Central Tomato Relish

Here I am again, craving food from Portland. I've been able to satiate the desire for this condiment maybe twice a year. Whenever I visit, I sidle up to the counter of my former employer and gorge myself on Bacon Egg Bolos. The best part of those sandwiches is not the farm fresh egg cooked to perfection, not the pepper bacon, not the crusty bolo roll, but the zingy tomato relish. For those of you in Portland, you have only to stroll down to your local Grand Central Bakery to partake, while the rest of us have been left to trawl the internet in hopes of replicating the tangy dance of tomato relish on our tongues.

I'll wager a guess that the recipe I found was probably posted by an old Grand Central commissary employee, as it is pretty right on in taste. Though maybe it was just re-posted from the cookbook they published a few years ago. I've no idea. But thank you, whoever you are, for posting this lovely recipe for tomato relish.



With the end of tomato season looming, I squirreled away some Happy Boy San Marzano tomatoes to make a batch of tomato relish. It jars up easily and keeps in the freezer for many months and in the fridge for many weeks, so that when your lonely winter taste buds crave a dose of acidy, summer warmth, you can just reach into the fridge and spoon some up.

Enjoy!

Grand Central Tomato Relish

1/4 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed)
1/4 C olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 large leek, washed and diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained, juices reserved
2 T firmly packed brown sugar
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T salt


In a small bowl, cover sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water. Let sit about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Puree in food processor, adding a little of the soaking liquid if the puree is too stiff. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and caramelize, about ten minutes. Lower heat and add leeks, cooking until tender, about 6-8 minutes more.
Combine reserved juice from canned tomatoes with puree. Add to the onion and leek mixture in the pan and turn up the heat, stirring until the liquid evaporates.

Add the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook until sugar and salt dissolve.

Remove from heat, cool, and stir in uncooked diced tomatoes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Store in fridge up to 4 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.