Smoky Tomato Relish

Tonight and tomorrow, I'm giving you two different options to serve with pita wedges - set out the pita bread with a bowl of each during cocktails.

This first option has a nice smoky flavor from cooking the vegetables before making them into a relish. Cut a green bell pepper in half, and discard the seeds and membranes.

Place one half of the green pepper in a large skillet heated over medium-high heat, pressing down with your palm to flatten. (Set the remaining green pepper half aside for any other use you wish). Add 2 tomatoes (about a pound total) to the skillet. Cook for ten minutes until the vegetables begin to blacken, turning frequently. (Note: I found it a little hard to do this with the tomatoes, wince they were roly-poly. I wonder if it would be easier to cut them in half first, even though the recipe didn't say to do so?

Let cool to room temperature, then chop the tomatoes and the green pepper and place in a bowl. Add: 1/2 cup chopped onion, a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or a teaspoon and a half chopped fresh), one teaspoon chopped fresh mint, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves.

You can make this up to a day ahead and store in the fridge; serve chilled or at room temperature, and garnish with flat-leaf parsley for a nice presentation.

When you're ready to serve, cut 6 (6-inch) pitas into 4 wedges each. 1/4 cup of relish plus 3 pita wedges is 160 calories.

Cost:
green bell pepper $0.63
tomatoes $2.78
onion $0.59
mint $1.99
pitas $1.99