Best Chowchow Recipes

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.

GREEN TOMATO CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• Chop tomatoes. Transfer to a strainer and sprinkle with salt; let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop cabbage, onions and green and red peppers. Place in a Dutch oven. Add drained tomatoes to pan and, if desired, jalapeno., Stir in vinegar and sugar. Place pickling spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners to enclose spices; tie securely with string. Add to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, stirring occasionally, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Discard spice bag. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate leftovers.

BLACK-EYED PEA BURGERS WITH CREAMY BARBECUE SAUCE AND CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• Patties
• Cook amaranth, according to package directions. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.
• Combine scallions, mushrooms, chile, black-eyed peas, parsley, tamari, flaxseed meal, miso, and ½ tsp. salt in a food processor. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. cooled amaranth over mixture and pulse until just combined. Repeat process until all of amaranth has been incorporated. Taste and season purée with pepper and more salt if needed. Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to make 6 portions (a cookie scoop works great if you've got one) and form into patties that match the size of your buns. Freeze 30 minutes.
• Sauce and assembly
• While the patties are chilling, make the sauce. Whisk barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, chili-garlic sauce, mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar in a small bowl to combine. Sauce should taste spicy, tart, and sweet.
• Heat a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium-low. Pour in oil just to thinly coat bottom of pan. Working in 3 batches to avoid crowding, cook patties, adjusting heat and adding more oil as needed, until browned (a crisp crust should form), about 5 minutes per side. (You can keep patties warm on a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet in a 250° oven if needed.)
• Build burgers with patties, buns, sauce, and chowchow.
• Do ahead: Sauce can be made 1 month ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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.

GREEN TOMATO CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• Pound the dry seasonings together in a mortar.
• Bring vinegar, sugar, and 2/3 cup water to a boil in a large stockpot, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add spices, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add cabbage, onion and bell pepper, return to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Add the green tomato, stir thoroughly to incorporate, and cook 5 minutes more.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the relish to 2 quart jars or 4 pint jars. Fill to 1/4-inch from rim with remaining brine, agitate jars, and let stand 1 minute. Top up with brine, close jars and let them cool. Store jars in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

CRAWFISH BOUDIN BALLS, ANDOUILLE GRITS AND COLLARD GREEN CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• For the collard green chowchow: Combine the collard greens, cabbage, green tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, mustard seed and turmeric in a nonreactive heatproof bowl. Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil, then pour over the vegetables. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
• For the andouille grits: Render the andouille in a skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the stock, milk and cream, and bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the grits and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes. Finish off with the Gouda and green onions. Keep warm.
• For the crawfish boudin balls: In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute the celery, garlic, onions and bell peppers in the olive oil and butter for 12 minutes, until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, pulse half of the crawfish a couple times in a food processor. Add the chopped crawfish and the whole crawfish to the pan of vegetables; saute for 10 minutes. During cooking, add the lemon juice, breadcrumbs, crab boil, Parmesan, Creole spice and rice. Finish off with the green onions and parsley. Spread on a baking sheet and let cool.
• Roll the boudin mixture into six balls. Arrange the flour, egg wash and panko in separate bowls; season with salt and pepper. Dredge the balls in flour, dip in egg wash and coat in panko.
• Deep-fry the boudin balls at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes, until golden brown.
• Serve two boudin balls to a plate, accompanied by grits and chowchow.

TOMAHAWK PORK CHOPS WITH TOMATILLO-GREEN TOMATO CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• For the chowchow: Combine the cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, dry mustard, mustard seed, salt, turmeric and bay leaves in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes to extract all the flavors of the spices. Bring the liquid back to a boil and add the tomatillos, green tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, red peppers, onions and cabbage. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fully softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chowchow to a bowl and let cool. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 month.
• For the pork chops: Set one pork chop in the center of a large cutting board. Cover the chop with a sheet of heavy plastic wrap. With a meat mallet, pound out the pork chop to an even 1/4-inch thickness, working from the middle out. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.
• Combine all of the panko in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. In another shallow dish combine the flour with the granulated garlic, onion powder, and some salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs with the half-and-half and add to a third shallow dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take a pork chop and dip the meat (not the bone) into the flour, then into the egg, and finally into the panko, making sure the chop is well-breaded. Repeat for the remaining pork chops. Let the breaded pork chops rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking.
• Heat the canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a pork chop to the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining pork chops, adding more oil as needed. Set the pork chops on plate and garnish with 3/4 cup of the chowchow, spooned over the center of each chop.

SMOKED SAUSAGE WITH BBQ REMOULADE AND GREEN TOMATO CHOWCHOW RELISH

Steps:

• For the green tomato chowchow relish: Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seeds and mustard seeds in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove and let the mixture cool completely.
• Combine the tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, jalapenos and onions in a medium bowl. Add the cooled vinegar mixture, olive oil and black pepper and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving.
• For the BBQ remoulade: Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, barbecue sauce, cornichons and green onions in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
• Heat the grill to high for direct grilling. Grill the sausages until golden brown and charred on all sides and just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• To serve, slice the sausages and arrange on a platter. Serve with bowls of the BBQ remoulade and chowchow relish, with grilled bread on the side.

CHOWCHOW

Steps:

• Bring a large kettle 1/4 full of salted water to a boil. Add the string beans, cauliflower, corn and fresh limas (if using frozen limas, do not add yet) and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and plunge the vegetables into cold water to stop the cooking. When cool, drain again and set aside.
• Return kettle to the stove and add the vinegar, sugar, salt, dry mustard, celery seeds, mustard seeds and turmeric. Bring just to a boil. Add the tomatoes, red and green bell peppers and onions. (If you are using frozen limas, add them now.) Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cooled vegetables to the pot and cook another 10 minutes.
• Have ready 8 hot, sterilized pint (2-cup) canning jars and lids. (See pickled peppers for sterilizing instructions.) Pour chowchow into the jars, leaving about 1/4inch of space below the lip. Wipe rims with a clean, damp towel and screw lids on securely but not too tightly.
• Fill a large kettle fitted with a rack halfway with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, bring a teapot full of water to a boil. Place the filled jars on the rack (do not let them touch -- work in batches if necessary) and pour in boiling water from the teapot until jar tops are covered by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes.
• Using tongs, remove jars from kettle. Using potholders, tighten lids. Allow to cool. Store in a cool, dark place.