The return of the relish tray

By Joe Truskot; | Salinas

When I was tall enough to see what was on the holiday dinner table back in 1950s Lorain, Ohio, and my little arm was long enough to reach it, I acquainted myself enthusiastically with a relish tray — stuffed green olives, ripe black ones, celery and pickles. Eating them before a meal never spoiled my appetite. In fact, it usually brought on worse pangs of hunger. A relish tray was a staple feature at all holiday meals and whenever guests were coming to “Sunday dinner” (which was called that but always eaten at midday).

One hundred years ago, celery was a scarce item. If you search eBay for a “celery vase,” you’ll be surprised at how elegantly this now common vegetable was treated. Cleaned and washed celery stalks with leaves still attached ran the spine of banquet tables serving as an edible treat and a table decoration. Olives don’t grow in Ohio. So it was once a special treat to serve them. One way to keep vegetables on a winter table was pickling them. Fetching a jar of them from the canning cupboard in the basement was my particular forte and they were as ever-present as bread.

Many foreign cuisines offer guests savory treats either at the beginning of a large meal or as a snack. In Russia, they’re called zakuski. The Italians have antipasti and the Spanish tapas. Whatever the origin of the American relish tray, it was an important part of the dining experience — and then, suddenly it disappeared at our house. Gone were my mother’s homemade semi-hot peppers, my aunt’s pickled watermelon rind, and the store-bought sweet gherkins, the green and black olives. Gone. Perhaps because the table got too crowded — with more mouths to feed and subsequently larger portions of the main course and side dishes. Perhaps too much of the tray’s contents got ignored and went uneaten or, most likely, the items on the relish tray just weren’t so special anymore.

Times change. Now, more than ever before, local grocery stores stock a wide variety of appetite-enticing treats perfectly suited for grandma’s antique relish tray. So, get it down from the attic, fill it with some of the items mentioned below, and tease your guests’ hunger.

If you don’t own a relish tray, start dropping hints. ‘Tis the season of giving, after all. Or shop the local antique stores. You’ll be quite surprised by what’s on their shelves. You can also check out the Internet. Most relish trays listed are under $20 — even the cut-glass ones. I bought the three relish plates pictured below 10 years ago on eBay for a reasonable sum. The Depression glass dishes were made by the Indiana Glass Co. between 1929 and 1934. The pattern is known as “Lorain Basket.” (My hometown!)

Olives

The perfect relish tray inhabitant, green olives were once only pimiento stuffed. Now you can find them filled with garlic, almonds, jalapeños, anchovies or blue cheese. Pitted ripe olives have a conveniently vacant compartment which allows you to stuff them with ... whatever. The ones pictured below have a little prepared horseradish piped inside. Many grocery stores have an olive bar set up near the deli counter offering various combinations. The ones pictured here are from Safeway’s Greek mix. The bright green olives in the photo are a new discovery of mine called Castelvetrano olives. Turns out they’re the most popular snacking olive in Italy. They have a great buttery flavor and a relatively small pit. Hosts should provide a clean ramekin near any tray offering something with a pit in it. Eat an olive and put the pit in the ramekin, and the guests will get the idea.

Pickles

Cucumbers have long been preserved whole or sliced by pickling. They come in various cultivars. The sweet whole ones are gherkins. Their tinier French cousins are cornichons which are a perfect compliment to liver pâté. The cocktail-size pickle is now available in the popular Kosher dill flavor. Sliced cucumbers also come in a variety of recipes. Elaine Hesser’s “bread and butter” ones are described in the accompanying article.

Peppers

Several types of pickled peppers are on the market including the ever-present salad bar offerings: cherry peppers and pepperonici. I find both of these choices way too vinegary. The ones closest to my mother’s semi-hots (aka Hungarian yellows) are Mezzetti’s Sweet Banana Wax Peppers — a perfect complement to baked ham. Trust me, these are delectable and not picante.

Beets

Harvard beets have an unexpected spiciness which teases the palate. My father’s old beer joints often had a large glass container of them on the bar with several submerged hard boiled eggs — shells off. Elaine Hesser’s recipe for them is included. You may also try a sweet recipe that uses cooked golden beets sauteed in brown sugar and butter. Cooked beets also combine beautifully with sour cream.

Carrots

Those little scrubbed-up baby carrots were never available in the quantities we see them in today — clean, peeled and ready to eat. They are a healthy and easy fresh snack, dipped in dressing, or prepared as Elaine Hesser suggests. Carrots also lend themselves to anise, dill, or sweet flavors.

Artichokes

Here, in the shadow of the artichoke center of the universe, I had to save a section of the relish dish for marinated artichoke hearts. Local offerings include several variations.

Celery

One of the easiest and most prevalent relish tray treats was and is celery stuffed with cream cheese. These, too, can be dressed up a bit. Flavor the cream cheese by adding some chopped chives or a bit of anchovy fillet. Sprinkle the cream cheese with celery seeds.

Green onions

Select the thinnest green onions you can find. Chop off the tops and bottoms and remove any old or torn portions. These are usually too awkward for the relish tray itself so I always stand them up in a glass container with a little freshly salted water. If you get no takers during the meal, chop up the onions and mix them with some sour cream, then serve them later in the day with a bowl of potato chips for the football game.

Tomatoes

New varieties of red and yellow cocktail tomatoes are now on the market, too. They are thin-skinned, juicy, colorful, sweet and perfect additions to a relish tray totally unaltered. Open the package, wash them, and put them out. Nothing else required.

Belgian endive

If you can find them, they’re fantastic. Cut the bottoms off, separate them carefully (they like to tear right right across the middle), wash them, pat them dry, place a little Boursin cheese at the bottom, and cover the cheese with fresh alfalfa or clover sprouts. It’s an elegant treat, easy to prepare and will impress your guests.

Dried fruit

Pictured here are mission figs, split open and stuffed with crumbled gorgonzola. It’s a great taste combination and super simple to prepare. A little stickier are prunes (now fashionably called “dried plums”) stuffed with Major Grey’s chutney — another delicious combination of tastes. Pitted dates beg to be filled with walnuts, shaved fresh coconut or butter cream frosting.

Salami

I picked up this treat from an antipasto plate. Most grocery stores now offer a variety of dried meats. I prefer the uncured hot Italian salami. Hot is quite relative here. The one I bought was no hotter than a slice of pepperoni, so I suspect it will vary with brand. Prosciutto, jamon serrano, mortadella, capicola, or genoa salami all add something unique to the old relish tray.

Other suggestions

Mushrooms, asparagus (white and green), string beans, and palm hearts all have potential. Giardiniera mixtures — especially homemade — are perfecto. Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) also work just fine on a relish tray, but keep them small.

One last bite

Perhaps the best reason to return the old relish tray to the holiday table is a human one. The tray and its offerings demonstrate that someone cared enough to fuss over the meal — sometimes months in advance, preserving summer’s bounty to entice the appetite of diners throughout the long dark winter months. Looking down at the bread and butter pickles in the dish, one might recall planting those cukes, weeding and watering them, harvesting them, inviting friends to help can them, and now providing them for all to enjoy.

Yes, we can buy ready-made food — often we have no choice — but having a homemade treat in the relish dish returns us to the original meaning of “relish.” It’s from 13th century French and means “savoring the taste of something remaining.”

Follow Joe Truskot on Twitter @truskot_salnews #salinas.