Name: Chowchow
Total time: 5 h 45 min
Cuisine: SouthernUS & Canada
Ingredients: 18 ounces green tomatoes , cored and chopped coarse; 1 cup coarsely chopped green cabbage; 1 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion; 1 jalapeño chile , stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse; 1 1/2 tablespoons Salt; 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 1/4 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds; 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds; 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Why This Recipe Works

To make the most of end-of-season green tomatoes, we turned to this Southern staple. We pulsed chopped green tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, green cabbage, onion, and a jalapeño together in a food processor until they were uniformly chopped. To draw out some of the moisture (which we didn’t want in our relish), we salted the vegetables and let them sit for about 3 hours before draining them. Then we simmered a savory mixture of white vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric (to give it a striking yellow color), and cayenne pepper until it became syrupy. Off the heat, we stirred our drained vegetables into the syrup. This method kept the cabbage crisp and the tomatoes firm.

Before You Begin

To double the recipe, double the amounts of all the ingredients, pulse the vegetables in step 1 in 6 batches, increase the simmering time in step 2 to about 8 minutes, and cook the mixture in a Dutch oven instead of a large saucepan.

Instructions

Combine tomatoes, cabbage, bell peppers, onion, and jalapeño in bowl. Working in 3 batches, pulse vegetables in food processor until pieces measure 1/4 to 1/2 inch, 4 to 6 pulses; transfer to separate bowl. Stir in salt, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Transfer vegetables to colander set in sink and let drain for 20 minutes. Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and cayenne to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in drained vegetables.

Let relish cool completely, then refrigerate until ready to serve. (Relish can be refrigerated for up to 6 months.)