You read that correctly! Garden of Eva’s Chow Chow is versatile and its use is limited only by your imagination. To get you going, we’re posting more than 20 ways to enjoy this sweet and tangy relish. You’ll get one idea each week. We hope our community will send in ideas that we can share, too!
Ok, for the first week, we’ll start with a traditional use of chow chow in the American South, where my family has roots (mom was from the great state of Virginia!).
Try putting some Garden of Eva Chow Chow over your favourite beans! You can use either black-eyed peas or pinto beans. Check out the recipe below. And don’t forget the cornbread (recipe provided, of course)!
Pinto Beans
454 grams/1 pound dried pinto beans
1 ½ teaspoons bacon fat
227 grams/ 8 ounces streaky bacon, diced (or smoked lardons)
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
1 Knorr chicken stock pot
2 fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried turmeric
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons hot sauce (you can adjust this if you don’t like too much heat)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse the pinto beans. Place in a large bowl and add enough water to cover to a depth of 3 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain.
- Heat the bacon fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the streaky bacon or lardons and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to become crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.
- Add the onion to the pot and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and cover with water (about an inch above the beans). Add the Knorr stock pot. Stir in the bay leaves, pepper, turmeric, salt, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and let the beans simmer until they become sofr and creamy, about 1 hour. Taste for doneness every 5 minutes after they have cooked for 45 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaves, stir in the rendered meat, and check the seasoning. Serve with Garden of Eva Chow Chow and cornbread (slather butter on it and sop up the liquid with it). They taste better the next day when the liquid gets creamier.
Cornbread
170 grams/1 ¼ cups plain flour
102 grams/¾ cup cornmeal (polenta is the same thing)
34 grams/¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
250ml/1 cup milk
60ml/¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
Oil (for the pan)
INSTRUCTIONS
1.) Heat oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F
2.) Grease 8 or 9-inch pan with vegetable oil`
3.) Combine dry ingredients
4.) Combine wet ingredients
5.) Stir in wet ingredients with dry just until dry ingredients are moistened.
6.) Pour batter into prepared pan.
7.) Bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.