April Bivalve Of The Month: Rappahannock River Oysters At Grand Central Oyster Bar - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lb. small green tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
AA1/4 cup fine sea salt
1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns
2 tsp. cardamom seeds
2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. whole allspice berries
1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
5 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 dried chiles de AArbol, stemmed
1 stick cinnamon, broken in half
1 2\"-piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Cheesecloth, for spices
3 cups white wine vinegar
2 cups sugar

Preparation

Toss tomatoes, onion, and salt in a 9\" x 13\" baking dish and press into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
Next day, pour tomato mixture into a colander and rinse well under cold running water. Spread tomatoes and onions in a single layer onto a double thickness of paper towels; blot dry with more paper towels.
Heat peppercorns, cardamom, coriander, allspice, mustard, cloves, bay leaves, chiles, and cinnamon in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until seeds begin to pop, 3AAA\"5 minutes. Transfer spices along with ginger to a piece of cheesecloth; tie into a tight package.
Add vinegar and sugar to saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 1AAA\"2 minutes. Add spice package and reserved tomato mixture; reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is very thick, about 1 AA1/2 hours. Let Chow Chow cool to room temperature before serving over chilled oysters, or serve warm over roasted oysters
Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks