Chowchow Food

SOUTHERN CHOW CHOW

Steps:

• Clean and sterilize 2 quart-size canning jars with lids.
• Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, mustard, turmeric, red pepper flakes and bay leaf to a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the flavors start to marry, about 5 minutes.
• Add the green tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, onion and cabbage and bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Divide the mixture between the two jars and let cool to room temperature. Serve immediately or seal and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks.

CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• Mix together the bell peppers, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno and salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Drain the liquid from the mixture.
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, toast the mustard seeds and celery seeds until they begin to pop, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar and 1 cup water, and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vegetable mixture and the crushed red pepper, mustard powder, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 1 hour.
• Allow to cool. Serve over beans and cornbread or as a relish for pulled pork or hot dogs.

CHOW-CHOW

Steps:

• Add 1 cup of the salt to the chopped tomatoes in a very large plastic or glass bowl (must be non-reactive, not metal). Mix well & let stand overnight. This might be a good time to clean the remaining vegetables. Thoroughly wash them, removing cores and seeds from peppers, leaves & core from cauliflower and any other undesirable parts. Then thoroughly drain the water off them and store them covered in the fridge until ready to use.
• Next day: drain the tomatoes and place in a large, non-reactive stock-pot but don't turn on the heat yet. (The only one I could think of was the kind coated with enamel, so I went out an got a huge one).
• Either get out your food processor, or a nice big sharp chef's knife because you need to FINELY chop the remaining vegetables (bell peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, onions, hot peppers, garlic). Add all to to the stock pot with the tomatoes.
• Add vinegar, remaining 1/4 cup salt, horseradish, spices.
• Slowly bring to a boil, and simmer about 10 minutes or until onions are getting tender.
• Pack into freshly cleaned & hot canning jars leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace (depending on jar size) place lids on and screw the rings on.
• Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes by submerging over the tops in a deep pot of hot (almost boiling) water on the stove for 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and let cool and seal.
• My personal critique:.
• I like more onions, like say, double this amount. I'd also just as soon use 2 heads of cabbage as 1 cabbage & 1 cauliflower but that's just me. The cider vinegar could just as easily be white vinegar, and the sugar could also be all brown or all white. Obviously any changes would make a difference in flavor but not enough for me to care. And the spices, I thought some were overdone, mainly the turmeric, allspice and cloves. If I did it again I'd choose to still add them but reduce their amounts to 1/2. Conversely, I think there could be more ginger & ground mustard -- maybe double them? (Read next year's critique.) And lastly, I think we should have added ground black pepper. Many of the recipes called for it, and frankly I think we just forgot. Seems like the recipes call for about 1 tablespoon per gallon of chopped veggies. See you next year!

CHOW CHOW I

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and salt. Let stand overnight.
• Drain the tomato/pepper mixture and add the hot chile peppers, vinegar, sugar, and horseradish. Wrap the cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in cheesecloth or a porous bag, and add to tomato/pepper mixture.
• Boil for 15 minutes, or until tender.
• Pack tightly in sterilized jars and seal.

CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• Toss cabbage, green tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, and salt in a large bowl until all of the vegetables are coated in salt (this will help them release some water). Cover and chill at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. Drain vegetables.
• Toast mustard seeds in a large pot over medium-high heat, shaking pan, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Add both vinegars, sugar, mustard, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.
• Add garlic and drained vegetables to pickling liquid and mix well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors have melded and liquid is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. The cabbage and green tomatoes should still have a bit of a crunch. Let cool (this will take about 1 hour).
• Using a slotted spoon, divide chowchow among sterilized glass jars of choice and spoon pickling liquid over (chowchow should be submerged and there should be about ½" space at the top of each jar. Cover and chill.
• Do ahead: Chowchow can be made 1 month ahead. Keep chilled. If you'd like to keep it longer, you can use the water bath boiling technique to make the jarred chowchow shelf stable.