Soul Food Green Tomatoes






by Kathy Smith


Green chopped tomato Relish Recipe
This excellent chopped tomato recipe is a favorite of mine. chopped tomato is a green tomato relish with a spicy mustard base and it is excellent on burgers, hot dogs, pork, sausages and even black eyed peas.

Chow chow is typically made from chopped green tomatoes and cabbage which, of course, give it its' distinctive green appearance. It gets its spiciness from mustard seed, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and vinegar.

The term "relish" is from the expression "reles" which means "something remaining" in old French, which makes sense with this kind of dish since the ingredients can be changed around so much. Regardless of where chopped tomato originated, what is clear is that Southerners have been using it as a condiments for hundreds of years.


The following chow chow meal can make half dozen pints. List of ingredients:


nine lbs of green tomatoes
6 lbs . of yellow or white onions, peeled and finely diced
6 cups of water
1 cup of salt
four cups of white wine vinegar
4 tbsps of pickling seasonings
2 1/2 pounds light brown sugar
2 1/2 lbs . white sugar
1/2 cup of cornstarch
one teaspoon turmeric
two teaspoons of dry mustard
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced


Directions:

Put your green tomatoes & onions in the largest non-reactive bowl you can find. 9 cups of tomatoes is a lot of tomatoes and the acid in the tomatoes might have an unfavorable reaction to some bowls. Add 4 cups of water and all of the salt. Allow the tomato, water and salt mixture to sit over night (eight hours, even though a dozen hours is best), covered up within the fridge.

Strain really well inside a colander after which you'll put tomatoes and onions into a large cooking pot along with the white vinegar, 2 cups of water and pickling spice.

Bring to a boil on top of the stove on high temperature then lower temperature to low and simmer for half-hour. Incorporate all of the white and brown sugars and permit to simmer for another half-hour.


In a smaller bowl, incorporate the corn starch, mustard as well as tumeric and slowly add it to the simmering cooking pot, being sure that it results in being well blended. Add in the diced red bell pepper and garlic and simmer for the next 1 1/2 to 2 hrs or until such time as thick. And lastly, spoon all the chow chow inside of tupperware within your fridge or in the freezer to be stored for up to six months.




About the Author: