Farmer’s Giardiniera
Giardiniera translates to “from the garden”, and is a mixture of different fresh vegetables that have been quickly pickled in a vinegar/oil mixture. It can also be called “sottaceti” (“under vinegar”). Great for a typical Italian antipasto platter, alongside grilled meats, or used as a condiment in sandwiches like Muffuletta. Traditionally, Giardiniera was made from the vegetables left over from a last harvest. Since there is no cooking involved, this is a quick, easy and delicious recipe to make. You can spice this recipe up by using hotter peppers like Serrano.
Ingredients
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 10 white pearl onions, halved
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced rounds
- 1 Cubanelle pepper, thinly sliced rounds, seeded
- 1 long green hot pepper, thinly sliced rounds, seeded
- 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced rounds, unseeded
- 1 small red pepper, seeded, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow pepper, seeded, quartered and thinly sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, halved
- ½ cup Attina Calabrian green olives
- ½ cup small black olives ( in-store olive bar)
- ½ cup sea salt
- Cold filtered water
- 1 tbsp. Kivotos dried oregano, removed from stem and crumbled
- 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
- 1 large bay leaf
- ¾ cup white vinegar
- ¾ cup Ponti apple cider vinegar
- 1½ cup Gustolio extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Place celery, cauliflower, onions, carrots, assorted peppers and garlic in a deep glass dish or bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk sea salt with cold filtered water and add enough water to cover vegetable mixture. Refrigerate salted vegetable mixture for 10-12 hours or overnight.
- The following day, add assorted olives to the vegetable mixture. Drain salt water from vegetable mixture and rinse well with cold filtered water, rinsing several times.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegars. Add oregano, fennel seeds and bay leaf to the oil/vinegar mix, pour over vegetable mixture. Transfer into large mason jars and refrigerate for 2 days before using. Keep refrigerated for 2 weeks.
