Giardiniera

Giardiniera. What?  Giardiniera. What? I give you Giardiniera! 

Pronounced "Jar-deen-yara".  It means Gardener in Italian which is perfect for this time of year.  Italian style uses onion, celery, zucchini, carrots and cauliflower.  Chicago style is hot peppers, bell peppers, celery, cauliflower and red pepper flakes for more spice.  To me this is like a Italian salsa or ketchup.  It is not found very commonly around here but we saw it a lot in Chicago. It can be very expensive for a small jar.  It is so easy to make and much cheaper than the deli counters.  Especially with all the farmer's market produce and full garden's right now, very appropriate!  Don't let your zucchini sit on the counter, don't make another loaf of bread or brownies to send to your neighbor.  Make this!  You can fridge it or can it. 

Use Giardiniera to top pasta, sandwiches, pork chops...everyone who has tried this has raved how good it is.  So I think it is important to share during this time of year.  Just like a fried rice or stew, use what you have around in your fridge and garden, feel free to tweak to your taste and switch out the veggies for more or less depending on what is in season or abundance. 

I am posting the basic recipe I follow, but as I mentioned above...use what you have available to you or what your taste buds tell you to use.  The day I made this batch I used green pepper, banana peppers, Serrano peppers, jalapeno peppers, onion and celery.   I have to say when you use other bell peppers and carrots, it is a very beautiful mix of color. 

Giardiniera

Print recipe here

Day 1

2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
8 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced
3 celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup fresh cauliflower florets
1/2 cup sea salt
water to cover

First head to your back yard garden...or farmer's market and have hubby buy you these! Just gorgeous!

Then pick up some great produce.  Now you can start slicing and dicing.

1. Chop up all your veggies. Place into a bowl- green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Note:  My husband likes his very spicy, so I do not seed any of the hot peppers. 

2. Stir in salt, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

 
Day 2
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5 ounce) jar pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup olive oil

3. The next day, drain salty water, and rinse vegetables.

4. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil, and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days before using.

Some other great additions to this would be any type of pepper, zucchini, eggplant, corn kernels or baby corn, asparagus, radishes and even green beans.   I usually add in Thai Peppers too for even more heat.
If you are a veggie lover but don't like heat?  Make this with no hot peppers and do not add the red pepper flakes.  Just replace the amount with something else to equal the same amount of vegetables. 

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