Recipe: Lazy Chowchow

Every year we end up with a pile of end-of-season vegetables in need of using up or preserving, either from our own gardens, those of relatives, or simply overzealous farmer's market purchases: green tomatoes, bell peppers, mild or hot chiles, cabbage, celery, radishes, etc. My go-to use for these, especially when I don't have time to pickle them, is to make a batch of what I call "lazy chowchow." Chowchow (or chow chow) is a sweet-tangy-spicy Southern relish usually made from bell peppers, onions, green tomatoes, and cabbage (in roughly equal proportions). (There is a Northern-style chowchow too, but it's less my jam.) Chowchow is commonly used to spice up beans, greens, or meats, or as a "sauce" for cornbread. Along with mustard, it is my hot-dog topping of choice.

Some chowchow recipe include other crisp vegetables, like green beans and cauliflower. Anything crisp enough to withstand long cooking can be used, including chile peppers (mild or hot), celery, leeks, carrots, radishes, celeriac, etc. The vegetables in chowchow are often cut into a medium dice and the relish cooked briefly, but I am lazy and I prefer a saucier relish anyway. So I use a food processor to quickly prep the veg into a fine-ish dice, something that—given the quantities involved—would take hours to do by hand. And I cook the relish for at least an hour, until it is soft and jammy.

You don't need to hot-water process chowchow, as long as you keep it in the fridge, though given how many jars this yields, you'll probably want to, unless you plan to give some of it away immediately. (You can always halve the amounts here instead; I find this scale best to use up as much of my end-of-season produce as possible.)

Make some of this, and then whip up a bunch of split-top hot dog buns using this method:

Recipe: New England-style hot dog buns

i.e., the only good hot dog bun

wordloafAndrew Janjigian

—Andrew

Lazy Chowchow

Makes 7 to 8 pints

This recipe makes a lot of chowchow, but it makes great gifts for the holidays, and it uses up loads of end-of-season peppers and green tomatoes; feel free to halve it if desired.

• You can include other crisp vegetables here, like radishes, carrots, celery, leeks, etc. Just aim for a combined (pre-prepped) weight of about 9 pounds (4ooog), and be sure to include a lot of peppers and onions.
• Process the veg until they are of a fine dice, but not so much that they start to get juicy. It's no big deal if there are a few larger pieces, they'll soften during cooking.
• Add as many hot peppers as you want, depending on their heat level and desired level of burn. (I used 1 habanero and 2 jalapeños, seeded, in my last batch, and it was hot, but not too hot.)
• I always sterilize a few more jars than I need, since there's always variability in how many jars this recipe yields.

4 pounds (1820g) mixed sweet bell and/or mild chile peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 pounds (910g) sweet, yellow, or red onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ pounds (685g) green cabbage, cored and cut into thin shreds
1 ½ pounds (685g) green tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
hot peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (optional; amount variable)
35g sea or kosher salt, plus more to taste
600g sugar
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
12g (1 tablespoon) yellow mustard seeds
3.25g (1 ½ teaspoons) mustard powder
3.25g (1 ½ teaspoons) celery seeds
75.g (1 ½ teaspoons) ground ginger
2.7g (1 teaspoon) ground turmeric
up to 7.5g (1 ½ teaspoons) red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper (optional)

1. Working in small batches, pulse the peppers, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, and other veg into a fine dice using a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not overprocess; stop before they start to release liquid. Transfer each batch to a large bowl.
2. Add the salt to the vegetables and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. If using the hot peppers, process into a fine dice separately, transfer to a container, and refrigerate until needed.
4. Drain the vegetables in a colander thoroughly and discard the liquid. In an 8-quart or larger non-reactive Dutch oven, bring the sugar, vinegar, water, mustard seeds, mustard powder, celery seeds, ginger, and turmeric to a boil. Add the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
5. If including the fresh hot peppers and/or red pepper flakes, add them a little at a time until the desired heat level is reached. Continue simmering the relish until thick and glossy, 15 to 30 minutes longer.
6. Meanwhile, place 6 pint or 12 half-pint canning jars (or a mixture) face down on a baking sheet and set in a 250˚F (120˚C) oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the jars in the oven until needed.
7. Season with additional salt to taste. Ladle the chowchow into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars, then seal finger-tight with new lids and bands.
8. If storing unprocessed, allow to cool to room temperature and transfer to the fridge for up to 6 months.
9. To process, set the jars in one or two deep pots (ideally lined with a canning rack), and add enough hot water to come up at least 2/3 their height. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, checking occasionally to maintain a temperature of at least 180˚F (83˚C).
10. Remove the jars from the bath(s) and let cool to room temperature, at least 6 hours. Remove the bands, wipe the rims, and check the seals. Store any sealed jars at room temperature for up to 1 year. (Store any unsealed jars in the fridge.)
11. Refrigerate after opening.