Pennsylvania Dutch chow-chow
Sweet-sour mixed vegetable pickle
Chow-chow is the end-of-summer pickle of Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens, a way of using up the last beans, peppers, cauliflower and green tomatoes before the frost. It is one of the 'seven sweets and seven sours' set out on Lancaster farm tables, bright with mustard seed and turmeric, sweet and sharp, and good with cheese, bean dishes and sandwiches. Chef's tip: cut every vegetable to roughly the size of a kidney bean so it cooks evenly and looks right in the jar.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz cauliflowersmall florets
- 7 oz green beans1 cm lengths
- 8 ½ oz cooked kidney beansdrained
- 7 oz sweetcorn kernels
- 2 carrotsdiced
- 2 red peppersdiced
- 1 oniondiced
- 2 celery sticksdiced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp celery seeds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toss the 10 ½ oz cauliflower, 7 oz green beans, 2 carrots, 2 red peppers, 1 onion and 2 celery sticks with the 2 tbsp salt in a large bowl and leave for 2 hours to draw out water. Rinse and drain well.
125 minStep 2: Bring the 2 cups cider vinegar, 10 ½ oz sugar, 1 tbsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp celery seeds and 1 tsp ground turmeric to the boil in a large pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 3: Add the drained vegetables and boil for 8 minutes, until just tender but still crunchy. A common mistake is cooking them soft; they keep softening in the jar.
8 minStep 4: Stir in the 8 ½ oz cooked kidney beans beans and 7 oz sweetcorn kernels and bring back to the boil for 2 minutes.
3 minStep 5: Pack into hot, sterilised jars, cover with the hot liquid and seal. Cool, then keep in the fridge for at least 2 days before eating; it keeps 6 weeks chilled.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 45 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pennsylvania Dutch chow-chow take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cauliflower?
- Broccoli, same weight.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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