Chow-Chow Deconstructed

If you aren’t familiar with the term – Chow-chow – then you don’t know about this Southern specialty. Chow-chow is the name of a particular type of pickled relish. Most often made with cabbage, it usually contains onion, pepper and tomato. Actually, I’ve had chow-chow made with almost anything that will fit into a Ball Mason jar.
Chow-chow can be sweet or spicy, but my favorites are the ones that are brain puckeringly sour, and preserved with good cider vinegar. Chow-chow is served with about any excuse – with beans, chilis and stews of all kinds, alongside fried chicken or catfish, or on a perfect vegetable plate. The downside of chow-chow is that it can be a mushy, colorless, ugly blob. Ewww. Not lovely.
I wanted to capture the beautiful bright crunch of great vegetables, without waiting the several weeks the pickling process would take. I wanted the salty sourness from the good relishes, while preserving the intense flavor and texture of the raw vegetables. If you’ve always hated cabbage – give this a shot anyway. I’m proud of this one. Try it. It’s unbelievable addictive.
Serve it with anything that needs a clean, sharp contrast. I like it contrasted with the richness of pork, or fried chicken, or at midnight straight from the bowl in the fridge so you don’t have to share.

Chow-Chow Deconstructed

2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
2 cups thinly shredded purple cabbage
3 ripe tomatoes, juiced, seeded and diced
5-6 spring onions (green onions or scallions), green tops included, finely chopped
1 tbl kosher salt
1 tbl cider vinegar

Combine all vegetables in a large colander, and suspend colander over a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the veggies with salt, and toss well to evenly distribute the salt. Stash both bowls in the refrigerator, and allow to sit for a couple of hours, tossing the veggies once or twice.
Remove the bowl, and discard the juice.* Give the veggies in the colander a quick rinse to remove most – but not all – of the salt. Drain well and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with cider vinegar to taste, and serve chilled.


*Frankly I love salt, and I ADORE this juicy stuff. I discard it by drinking it. I think it would make an incredible Bloody Mary, if I ever had enough to mix a drink with. Hmmmm…