Southern Chow Chow Relish
Chow chow can be made from a variety of bases, such as tomatoes or a combination of peppers, but the most common main ingredient is shredded cabbage. Most recipes call for canning the condiment, which comes in sweet and spicy varieties, but that seems just a bit too complicated for me.
The chow chow recipe I use is one of the few “canning-free” options I’ve found, and it comes from a barbecue cookbook at SeriousEats.com.
Enjoy!
Chow Chow
1 medium head of cabbage, cored and shredded
4 bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
2 onions, diced
2 green tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup of salt
3 cups distilled white vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. ground turmeric
•In a medium nonreactive stockpot, combine the cabbage, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Stir in the salt, cover the pot, and let the vegetables stand at room temperature for 4 to 12 hours. Drain well in a colander.
•Rinse the pot and add the vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Add the drained vegetables, return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve hot or cold.
