Chow Chow

I’m a northerner, so I don’t get down on myself for not really understanding the difference between a piccalilli and a chow chow. And a relish for that matter. I chalk it up to not really understanding the difference between a buckle, a crisp, a brown betty, a crumble or a grunt.

I do know the difference between a Sauce Colbert and a Sauce Foyot. So I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

That said, here is my Chow Chow recipe, which I turn to when I have lots of random excess green tomatoes.

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Ingredients
5 pounds green tomatoes, chopped
2 medium heads green cabbage, chopped
10 onions, chopped
4 red bell peppers, chopped
3 jalapenos, chopped
1/3 cup kosher salt
6 cups cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons tumeric
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons celery seed

Method

1. Toss vegetables and salt in a big bowl and let sit overnight in the fridge.
2. Drain vegetables and pour into a large pan.
3. Add rest of ingredients and cook slowly for 15 minutes.
4. Process 10 minutes.
5. This gets better with age so do try to lose it in the back of the pantry.

Uses

1. Use wherever you would use relish.
2. Try to think of new places to use relish since you probably don’t avail yourself of enough relish in your life. I know I don’t.