Tomatoes intended for fresh eating make a fine chili sauce, too, but they have to be treated a little differently because of their higher water content. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, and squeeze out most of the liquid and seeds before chopping. The cooking time will be closer to 3 hours.
* * *
Hot Cha Chowchow
Texas chowchows usually pack more pepper punch then their counterparts elsewhere, and this one is certainly no exception.
2 pounds (4 to 5 medium) green tomatoes
1½ pounds (about 1 head) white cabbage
1 pound onions, preferably sweet
2 large bell peppers, preferably 1 red and 1 green
6
to
8 fresh jalapeños
3 tablespoons pickling salt
2½ cups cider vinegar
1½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons pickling spice
1 tablespoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
Makes about 5 pints
Chop all the vegetables in batches in a food processor. Chowchow is usually chopped fine, but stop short of puréeing it. You want some fresh vegetable texture to remain.
Place all the vegetables in a large bowl, and sprinkle them with the salt. Let the vegetables sit for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours, stirring them occasionally. They will release a good bit of liquid while they rest.
Prepare pint canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
Bring the vinegar, sugar, and spices to a boil in a large pan or stockpot. Reduce the heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Drain the vegetables—don't rinse them—add them to the pan, and continue simmering for another 10 minutes. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Spoon the chowchow into the prepared jars, leaving at least ½ inch headspace, and process them for 10 minutes.
Let the chowchow sit a week to develop its flavor.
* * *
Chowchows often sport an abundance of ingredients. Other items found frequently in Texas chowchows include cauliflower, cinnamon, allspice, and turmeric.
* * *
Caddo Lake Relish
A good use for end-of-the-season green tomatoes, this zingy relish is a less complex variation on chowchow. In Caddo Lake fishing camps, the cooks usually serve it with fresh-caught fried fish and hushpuppies.
5 pounds (10 to 12 medium) green tomatoes
1 pound onions
1 cup chopped fresh jalapeños
2 cups cider vinegar, preferably unrefined
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup pickling salt
Makes about 6 pints
Prepare pint canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños in batches in a food processor, and reserve them. Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a stockpot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the vegetables and boil the mixture vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes.
Spoon the relish into the prepared jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
* * *
To this day, the Ball Blue Book, the original bible of preserving, contains charts that tell a family of any size precisely how many jars of canned goods it will need to make it through the winter.
* * *
Hellish Sweet Relish
This pickle relish adds more zest to food than any store-bought variety.
2½ pounds cucumbers, preferably small pickling cukes, chopped fine
1 pound (about 3 medium) bell peppers, preferably red and yellow, chopped fine
3 fresh green chiles, preferably new mexican or poblano, chopped fine
2 large onions, chopped fine
2 tablespoons pickling salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1¼ cups sugar
1½ tablespoons pickling spice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Makes 6 to 7 pints
Combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, chiles, and onions in a large bowl, and mix in the salt, which will release liquid from the vegetables. Weight the vegetables with a plate to keep them submerged. Set them aside for at least 12 hours and up to 24.
Drain and rinse the vegetables, and drain them again. Transfer the mixture to a stockpot or large saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook the mixture about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until it is well thickened.
Prepare the canning jars according to the manufacturer's instructions.
When the relish is cooked, remove the cinnamon sticks, and spoon the rest into the prepared jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath according to the manufacturer's directions, usually 10 minutes.
Let the relish sit at least a week to develop its flavor.
* * *
A few early Texas condiments you may not find at Safeway today: Green Tomato Soy, Plum Pickles, Peach Chips, Cucumber Ketchup, Pickled Raisins, and Onion Jelly.
* * *
Slang Jang
This chunky uncooked relish—practically the Southern equivalent of salsa—doesn't need canning, making it a fast and fresh alternative to our others.
1 large, very ripe tomato, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¾ cup vinegar, preferably white
¼ cup water
¼
to
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 whole dried cayenne or chile de árbol, crumbled
Makes about 3 cups
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, and mix them well. Try a spoonful, and adjust the salt, sugar, and cayenne to your taste.
Refrigerate the relish at least 30 minutes to develop the flavor. Slang Jang keeps about a week.
* * *
During his many years as a congressman from central Texas, Jake Pickle collected a pantry's worth of pickles in all forms. His name inspired such political slogans as "Our Pickle is a peach," "Pickle is a dilly," "We relish Pickle for Congress," and "We don't wanna beet Pickle."
* * *
Okra Pickles
These are some of the most popular pickles in Texas, threatening to supplant fried okra as the preparation of choice for the vegetable.
2 pounds small whole okra
3 cups vinegar, preferably cider
1 cup water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons White Wine Worcestershire sauce
FOR EACH JAR
1
to
2 small whole dried chiles, prefer ably pequín, de árbol, or cayenne
1 garlic clove
1 fresh dill "head" with seeds
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
Makes approximately 4 pints
In a large bowl, soak the okra in cold water for about 1 hour to plump it.
While the okra soaks, sterilize the canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
Shortly before the okra finishes its bath, combine the vinegar, water, salt, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer the pickling liquid while you prepare the okra and spices in their jars.
With clean hands, snugly pile the okra vertically into the sterilized jars, leaving about ½ inch of space at the top of each jar. Add the chiles, garlic, dill, and mustard seeds to each jar.
Ladle the hot pickling liquid over the okra in each jar, covering the okra but leaving about ½ inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath according to the manufacturer's directions, generally 10 minutes.
Let the pickles sit for at least a week before serving them.
* * *
Ta
lk O' Texas produces superb pickled okra, available widely in supermarkets in the South and Southwest.
* * *
Pickled Jalapeños
This Texas classic is one of the quickest and easiest pickles to make at home.
3 cups cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pickling spice
2 teaspoons salt
2 pounds fresh jalapeños, whole or sliced into rounds
4 garlic cloves
12 black peppercorns
Makes 4 pints
Prepare the canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, oil, pickling spice, and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, and simmer the mixture while you pack the jars.
Arrange equal quantities of the jalapeños, garlic, and peppercorns in each jar. Pour the hot liquid over the peppers, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath according to the manufacturer's directions, generally 10 minutes.
Store the pickled peppers for at least a week before eating them.
* * *
D. L. Jardine's in Austin makes great pickled jalapeños, distributed under the trademark Texas Popcorn. More stores are stocking sweet pickled jalapeño slices, too, such as Jardine's Texas Hot Wheels and the Hot and Sweet Jalapeños from Tastes of the Southwest. See "Mail-Order Sources" ([>]).
* * *
Garlic Dill Pickles
These dills may make your day over and over, all winter long. Try them with any kind of sandwich or by themselves as a low-calorie snack.
4 pounds 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers
2 cups water
2 cups vinegar, preferably distilled white
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup pickling salt
2 tablespoons pickling spice
FOR EACH JAR
1 fresh dill "head" with seeds
1 bay leaf
2
to
3 garlic cloves
1 small dried hot chile such as a pequín, cayenne, or de árbol
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
Makes about 7 pints
Prepare pint canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
Slice the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise.
Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a large pan. Many cookbooks say to tie the pickling spice in a piece of cheesecloth or to put it in a large teaball before adding it to the pickling liquid. We like the look of the spice in the jars, though, so we toss it into the pot along with the other ingredients. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer it for 15 minutes.
With clean hands, pack the cucumber spears snugly in the prepared jars. Add the dill, bay leaf, garlic, chile, and mustard seeds to each jar. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
For best flavor, let the pickles sit for at least a week before serving them.
Crispy Picante Sweet Pickles
The mineral lime helps keep these hot and sweet cucumber slices crisp. The process of making them takes several days but isn't complicated.
FIRST-DAY INGREDIENTS
4 pounds 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers
1 cup pickling lime
4 quarts water
SECOND-DAY INGREDIENTS
7½ cups cider vinegar
4½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons pickling spice
1½ teaspoons pickling salt
¾ teaspoon whole cloves
¾ teaspoon celery seeds
8 chiles pequíns
Makes 7 to 8 pints
The first day. Slice the cucumbers into thin rings. In a large nonreactive bowl, dissolve the pickling lime in the water according to the manufacturer's directions, and add the cucumber slices. Let them stand about 24 hours.
The second day. Drain the cucumbers, rinse them, and drain them again. Rinse out the bowl, and return the cucumbers to it. Cover the cukes with cool water, and let them stand another 2 to 3 hours.
While the cucumbers sit, make the syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine the second day's ingredients, and bring them to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring the mixture as needed to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat.
Drain the cucumbers again well, and return them to the bowl. Pour the syrup over the cucumbers, cover them loosely, and let them sit at least 12 hours and up to 24.
The third day. Prepare pint canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
Transfer the pickles and syrup to a stockpot. Bring them to a boil over high heat, and boil vigorously for 30 minutes, until the cucumbers appear translucent.
Spoon the pickles and equal amounts of syrup into the jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Make sure each jar gets a chile. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
For peak flavor, store the pickles for at least 1 week before eating them.
* * *
John Landis Mason's design and patent of a glass jar with a screwtop lid revolutionized the process of airtight sealing in the mid-nineteenth century, and made Mason's name synonymous with canning jars.
* * *
Five-Day Cinnamon Cukes
Pickles made with red-hot candies may sound goofy, but they taste delightful and provide a touch of Christmas color.
FIRST-DAY INGREDIENTS
16 large unwaxed cucumbers
1 cup pickling lime
4 quarts water
Second-Day Ingredients
½ cup vinegar
½ ounce red food coloring
2 quarts plus 2 cups water
5 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
¾ cup red-hot cinnamon candies
8 cinnamon sticks
Makes about 8 pints
The first day. Peel the cucumbers and slice them lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon or melon bailer. Slice the cucumbers thin.
In a large nonreactive bowl, dissolve the pickling lime in the 4 quarts water according to the manufacturer's directions, and add the cucumbers. Let the cucumbers stand about 24 hours.
The second day. Drain the cucumbers, rinse them, and drain them again. Rinse out the bowl, and return the cucumbers to it. Cover the cukes with cool water, and let them stand another 2 to 3 hours.
While the cucumbers sit, combine the vinegar, food coloring, and the 2 quarts water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the cucumbers, reduce the heat, and simmer 2 hours. Drain the cucumbers again well, and return them to the bowl.
Combine the 2 cups water and the remaining ingredients in a pan, and bring them to a boil. Pour the syrup over the cucumbers, cover them loosely, and let them sit at room temperature about 24 hours.
The third day. Drain the syrup off into a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Pour it back over the cucumbers, and cover them again.
The fourth day. Repeat the previous day's process.
The fifth day. You're almost there. Prepare pint canning jars according to the manufacturer's directions.
Transfer the cucumbers and the syrup to a saucepan, and bring them to a boil. Spoon the pickles into the jars, dividing the syrup equally and making sure each jar gets a cinnamon stick. Leave ½ inch of headspace. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
The pickles taste best if allowed to sit for at least 1 week before eating them.
LONE STAR SPECIALTIES
Eye-Popping, Heart-Thumping Breakfasts
I might have known that everything French had frog in it in some shape or other.... I made out a tolerable breakfast on other things, but would have been much better satisfied if I could have had four or five pounds of roasted buffalo-meat and a "marrow gut."
Texas pioneer Big-Foot Wallace, when he was served
fried frog legs for breakfast in New Orle
ans, quoted in
John C. Duval's The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace
Texans have always been inclined to start the day in a big and snappy way. They treat breakfast like an uprising rather than an arising, a bellow instead of a yawn. It's no time for the subtle or dainty, for flaky croissants or fancy eggs. It's a time instead for robust flavor, for some sugar and spice, for locomotion. Breakfast in Texas stirs your juices.
Migas
A Tex-Mex masterpiece, migas takes its name from the Spanish word for "crumbs," a reference to the tortilla chips mixed in with the scrambled eggs. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
4 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon salsa, homemade ([>]) or store-bought
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
Texas Home Cooking Page 40