Have you heard of chow-chow? If you're on a pickle kick even remotely as extreme as the one I'm currently experiencing, you need to familiarize yourself with it.
Apparently, chow-chow is a unique type of relish well-suited for topping a bowl of pinto beans, hot dogs, and a variety of other foods. More importantly, it has a great name. If you like pickled shtuff, you should give her a go.
Chow-Chow
2 quarts shredded cabbage, about one medium head
1/2 cup sweet onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped green or red bell peppers
2 tablespoons salt
Combine chopped vegetables and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Drain well.
Combine the following ingredients and simmer 10 minutes (using a pot large enough to put the vegetable mix in later):
2 cups vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons celery seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seed
Add vegetables to brine mixture and simmer another 10 minutes. Bring to a boil. Then pack, boiling hot, into clean, heated canning jars, leaving only an 1/8-inch headspace. Place canning lids and rings on jars and tighten. Turn the jars upside down so that all the heat is on the seals and let cool completely.
June 26, 2009
chow on chow-chow
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79 comments:
Yum. I think the chow chow we used to serve at a restaurant I used to work at had corn in it and it did not look a groovy as your does!
Ive never heard of chow chow before, but it sounds yummy! Just perfect for topping a big summer hotdog!
Chow'n down on some great looking relish huh Grace. I too would enjoy this if I could ever convince my Fiance to eat a hot dog (not saying that is the only thing you could put it on). Looks perfect!
V. interesting! Never heard of it...but if it's anything like its name, I'm sure I'd love it.
I've never heard of it before--but it sounds yummy! Almost like an americanized, unfermented kimchi.
I learned of chow chow for the first time while watching Tyler Florence on the Food channel last week. I'll have to give this a try one day!
Delicious! I've never made it, but I should. There's a sub shop here that serves chow chow on sandwiches which is awesome.
I make chow-chow and love it with everything! Yes on pinto beans! Plus anything that you'd use pickle relish for, I use chow-chow. Potato salad, tuna sandwiches, everything is better with chow-chow.
You're always introducing me to new foods! When I saw your post, I thought you'd be making puppy chow which really has nothing to do with puppies. Strange that there are at least 2 foods with the name "chow." I think i'd like this!
This is good tastin stuff, Grace! My Grandmother used to make the best chow-chow and I admit to spooning it out of the jar to eat! :)
Yours looks just as great as my grandma's and I'm sure it tastes delish! I hadn't thought of this yummy relish in years- thanks!
Look so tasty Grace, I like it so! xGloria
I love the name, sounds much more interesting than relish or pickle!
This is quite the combination...and the only things I like pickled are cucumbers, unfortunately.
Grace: I adore chow chow- you can put it on everything. I had an aunt that made it- I don't have her recipe so if I ever get as ambitious as you, I will use yours!
i've never had chow chow, i've seen it, but never ate it. it looks similar to the pickled tomatoes & onions i love though. i wonder if that even has a name, or if it's just like a tomato and onion relish? it's so good i could eat a whole freaking jar of it.
I love pickled stuff! Looks like something I could throw on top of anything.
never heard of chow chow...but it sounds delish
Never made it before, but do love the stuff. How long do you think it will keep in the fridge?
If you are ever in Alabama, you must try the chow-chow at Full Moon BBQ. It is amazing!
I love chow chow and all kinds of relishes. Including my latest CRAZED addiction to this Hungarian Relish. I NEED the recipe.
I've never heard of that before, but I would leave out the onions!
I've always wanted to make chow-chow. Looks fantastic!
Hey Grace, thanks for reminding me of a great sentimental memory...my grandmother's chow chow! I've never made it, but I recall hers being incredible. I wish I had her recipe!
I haven't heard of chow-chow before, but I LOVE pickles and have been wanting to experiment with making them. I love this idea!
I love chow chow but I've never made it. I'll have to try your recipe!
My grandmother used to make chow-chow. I haven't thought about it in years. Thanks for the grandma memory:)
I have this on my list! I'm pickling everything this summer!
i've never heard of chow chow - but i love anything pickled - so i'm pretty sure i would enjoy this. i'll give it a try!!
Ive never heard of this nor tried it before. But I just know Id enjoy it. Looks absolutely delicious!
I remember my mom making this when I was a kid. Oddly enough I liked it with black eyed peas! Yours looks great.
I've never heard of this before but it sounds like powerful stuff and yes looks perfect for a hot dog (or two or three)! :P
There is a stand right down the road that sells chow chow. I need to get down there! Sometimes we take what is close to us for granted.
I think I would try it just because of the name!! :)
~Tabitha
Next time I get cabbage in my CSA box we'll have to try this, sounds like it would be great on sausage
Mmm, mmm, good! Can you believe I've never pickled or canned anything! I'm too wimpy; always worried that I'd send us all to the ER with a rampant case of botulism. This doesn't seem too hard, though, and I LURVE pickled anything. Plus, I simply must have something with such a great name! :-)
You're speaking my language! My Great Aunt Maggie makes it every summer. I love how colorful it is.
My latest obsession is pickled sugar snap peas--have you tried those? This looks great.
I am catching up with Fringe--did you watch it? I am so loving Joshua Jackson, whom I think you said you love too. :)
Mmm, I love anything pickled, so I know I would like chow chow. And it has a fun name!
Oooh yum! I can see how this could be a tasty hot dog topping. Unfortunately, the only chow chow I've heard of is the fluffy bear-like dog that chased me down the street in middle school :P; thankfully I have this to give me a new positive association with the word :)!
I love this type of relish. And the name is fun to say! Chow-chow!
Chow Chow is great! I'm actually going to make make a batch this week. It's the very best on pinto beans. I made Bread n' Butter pickles yesterday.
Oh yeah, my recipe calls for Tumeric instead of Ginger.
i didnt know this was called chowchow! i just called it the colorful condiment... hahhaha how ignorant
Hm I don't know if I've heard of chow-chow. Sounds somewhat familiar. I do enjoy a variety of pickled vegetables though so it sounds and looks good!
Hmmm, now I'm wondering where chow-chow comes from... who's the first person to ever make it AND call it chow-chow (so many questions, so few answers).
It looks darned good though. I'll bet it would be yummy on a whole slew of foods that need a little pick me up.
I've never heard of Chow Chow but I adore pickles and this looks fantastic Grace.
Looks very good, I should be adventures and try it. :)
Honestly? I'm not into relish... don't think I'll give this a try. But that said, it really is pretty and colorful!
I am intrigued!
how interesting, i've never heard of chow-chow! i love all things pickled though
I looooove chow-chow! I like to eat it on hot dogs & sausages. Yours looks so refreshing and delicious, Grace!
Chow-chow? Never heard of it...sounds interesting...looks tasty pickled.
I love it... chow-chow! The name is super fun! I have never heard of it but now that I have I will definitely try it out.
I bet it would be good as a relish in chicken salad.
Chow-Chow! I could chow on this:)
I've always thought of chow chow as being a sweet thing. I love these additions that add that zing to a dish.
My parents used to serve it all the time when I was a kid. We'd mostly eat it with any kind of roasted meat.
Man, I have to explain what this is all the time. I get my parents to send it up from the South. They make theirs homemade, with green tomatoes and a little Splenda. It's the best on butter beans!
Ain't nuthin better'n a mess of purple hull peas and chow chow, lawdy mercy
My Aunt used yo make Chow Chow & I loved it. She used to make it for me and tamale pie every time I went to see her or she'd me some chow chow if my Sweet Loving Momma would go down there. Oh how I miss them both! I also muss the chow chow & tamale pie. All my Aunts & my beautiful Momma did a lot of canning. Another Aunt made great pomegranate jam with no seeds...loved it all.
I'm from Tennessee. I have eaten chow-chow all my life. Love the stuff! Can't wait to try your recipe.
I've been eating chow chow for as long as I can remember - I'm 55. It is so much more than a hot dog relish! It is amazing with fried potatoes, fish, beans, any fried greens, etc. In fact my family eats it with most of our typical "southern" meals. I also use 1/4 tsp. of ginger and 1/4 tsp. of tumeric.
My grandmother made this when I was a kid. I've never found a recipe that wasn't so huge that it wouldn't make just a little bit. Thank you.
It would be nice to be able to print the recipe on less than 8 pages of paper. Thanks for the recipe.
@David: i haven't figured out how to install a print button, sorry. you can highlight the recipe and copy and paste it to a word document if you really want to conserve paper.
Grace, we don't have to water bath this recipe?
@Judy Baumann: I'm sure you could and probably should! However, we never bother with it because the jars seal well just by flipping them over and because it disappears so quickly. :)
We grew up calling it cha-cha and my grandmother was from the south and was born in 1908
I love chow chow! I am looking forward to making this. How many jars does this make? Thanks so much for sharing!
@Cynthia Burrell: You should get 3 pints, but possibly a little less, depending on how tightly you pack it!
Hi Grace
I stumbled upon this post yesterday and fell in love with it and planning to make it today or tomorrow. I just wanted to confirm the quantities mentioned in your recipe. It just seems that half a cup of onions and half a cup of bell pepper is too little for two quarts of cabbage (64 ounces / 4 pounds). I also feel that the brine will not be enough.
The minute you respond, I will start making it and promise to come back with what I think.
Hady
@Hady: You're right, it's not a lot. We've always liked just a hint of those flavors, but you may certainly add more as you see fit! Since cabbage is so cram-able, it shouldn't be a problem to get everything into the jars. :) Please do let me know how it goes!
My mother and grandmother always made chow chow every summer. She also put into the mix a small pod of hot pepper diced fine. The other ingredients were chopped smaller than yours look. We ate it with greens,beans, all vegetables. It's more delicious after a couple months marinating. Your recipe appears the most similar to hers than others. Thanks
@Cindy: I got lazy with this batch and didn't chop the veggies very finely! I agree that chow chow is even better after a little time on the shelf. :) So glad you found me!
Thank you so much. I had my granny's 'reciept' and over the years and moves lost it. Her's had green tomatoes and was not pressure cooked like so many. This is the one! I fiddle with recipes so will be as accurate to hers as possible. Thanks for the excellent basics. I am 76 still miss granny and will love the chow chow.
@Sue Dodson: Hooray! It's so important to keep those recipes, and even more important to continue making them! :)
Hello Grace. I came across this recipe, and I think Im going make it & keep it. My Momma loved chow-chow. She always wanted to know how to make it. I will keep & make your recipe in her honor, if you dont mind. Thanks in advance.
@Anonymous: That's wonderful! I'm honored. :)
Love chow-chow. Especially with a big ol' pot of pinto beans and cornbread!! YUMMIE YUM YUM!!
I heard that chow chow originated in Canada. The growing season is so short, it was invented to use all the unripe and left over veggies, especially the green tomatoes, which are usually the main ingredient.
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