Giardiniera

 Giardiniera may not be native to Chicago, but we have definitely adopted this condiment (formerly antipasti) in our Italian beef  and sandwich shops.  This spicy chile/vegetable mixture tops sandwiches in this town and, like Scottie Pippen did, makes everything around them better. In nearly every case, the giardiniera that I have had has been great, but I wondered how to make this and how to make it my own.

The recipes for how to make giardiniera are few and far between. The ones that exist vary so much from each other that my sense was that I would be better off taking guidance in technique from the recipes rather than following them. My strategy was to cobble together things that I remember from good versions along with ingredients that were included in nearly every recipe available.  

Typically the giardiniera that I have had store-bought from Bari and the Riv as well on from local beef places have a combination of celery, chiles, cauliflower, and bell peppers drowned in an oil mixture. Some have olives, others don’t. Some have carrots, others don’t. Some have vinegar, others don’t. I added all three. 

I started with jalepenos and cauliflower. I had a good idea that 3 jalepenos and a cup of cauliflower would be a good amount. I did not know whether to dice or slice the jalepeno, so I did both. From there, I kept adding vegetables and tested how much by eye. I do not particularly like green bell peppers, so I substituted cubanelles for sweetness. I wanted some color, so I added fresnos (which added more heat). 

Another item that made it on every list was dried oregano, but with a herb garden right outside my kitchen with loads of fresh oregano, I could not justify using the dried. Using the conversion of 1 teaspoon of dried for each tablespoon of fresh, I added fresh oregano. 

After letting the mixture sit for a few days, I scooped it over some Italian sausages picked up in a Lexington Farmer’s Market. It was delicious, but spicy. The big difference between store-bought and homemade was the crunch. The jar had not sat for long enough for the veggies to soften. This made for a great texture contrast with the sausage. The icing was sopping up the oil and vinegar with a baguette. 

GIardiniera and Italian Sausage

 Giardiniera  

Makes about 2 pints 

• 3 cubanelles diced
• 5 fresno chiles sliced thin
• 3 jalepenos, one sliced thin, two seeded and diced
• 1 small stalk celery sliced thin
• 1 small carrot diced
• 1/4 head of cauliflower broken into small florets
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• water
• 1 cup pitted green olives roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano roughly chopped
• 2 turns black pepper
• 3/4 cups canola oil
• 3/4 cups cider vinegar

Step one: Assemble chiles, carrot, celery, and cauliflower (cut as above). Add salt and cover with water.  Place the brine and vegetables in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Rinse and drain. 

Chiles, Cauliflower, Carrots, and Celery

 Step two: Assemble olives, garlic, and oregano (cut as above) and add to the mixture from step one. 

Olives, garlic, and fresh oregano

 Step three: Combine pepper, oil, and vinegar and whisk until combined. Reserving 1/4 cup. Pour remaining over vegetable mixture  and immediately scoop into jars. Cover with remaining pepper/oil/vinegar mix. 

Step four: Refrigerate for 48 hours before using.