Chicago Style Giardiniera

Chicago what can I say and who would have thought a foodie like me would find out that Chicago Giardiniera is way more lively than California Giardiniera. Let me break this down for you. The Giardiniera that is here in California is bottled with large cauliflower, carrots and some red bell pepper in a pickle like brine. This is used for antipasto salad. But the Chicago Giardiniera is zesty, spicy chunks of bite size love. I do have a recipe for a Giardiniera Relish that has a nice bite but his recipe is over the top. Let's get started. This is a two day project so make time. A weekend perhaps. 

Ingredients for Day One

• 2 pounds of serrano peppers, rinsed and slices into thin circles. (Wear gloves)
• 1 pound of red peppers chopped small
• 1 pound of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 pound of carrots peeled and chopped small
• 1 cup of Kosher salt

Put all of these ingredients into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Toss them with the salt and let them sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours or overnight. The salt will remove some of the liquid. This will intensify the flavor.

Day Two

Have your jars and water bath prepared. I use 16 ounce wide mouth jars. This recipe will make about 7 to 8 jars. Take the pepper mixture from the refrigerator and drain the liqud and rinse well. Get rid of the liquid you do not need it.

Ingredients for Round Two

• 12 ounce jar of pimento stuffed green olives, chopped random. Reserve the liquid
• 1 cup of olive liquid from the jar
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dried oregano
• 5 cups of white wine vinegar
• 3 cups of grapeseed oil

Combine everything from the day before and today.

Have your jars ready to fill. 

Fill while packing them down to get rid of extra air space. 

You can add liquid as soon as they are filled and packed down.

I have a wood spoon Pa cut the end off for this purpose. How great is that. I use it for so much. Once the jars are full press the mix down and add the extra liquid until it is about 1/2" from the top of the jar. 

Unlike so many of the recipes we make this one has oil which makes it a bit more work to wipe and clean. Once your jars are full wipe the rim and outer twist area of the jar with a warm cloth or sponge. 

I apply just a tad bit of soap to the cloth to grab the oil residue, then I wipe again with a dry cloth to make sure there is no residue left. With this you will have a bit of the oil on the jars as well as in your water bath once done. Not an issue when the jars have cooled I wash them under with warm water and soap. Once sealed they are fine. I noticed this was not mentioned in any other website but I am a bit annal. Now pop on the lid and the twist and tighten until taunt.

 Put them into your water bath and boil for 20 minutes. The time starts once the water comes to a boil. 

Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.    

Hot Giardiniera Relish

Well I had extra cauliflower and red peppers from the garden. I knew I had to make something and make it quick. I have yearned to make a Giardiniera mix for a long time. Well here is my opportunity. I really wanted to mix up a spicy mix because if you know anything abut Chicago Peeps they like their Giardiniera Mix HOT.  Well, so far the taste is a bit tart yet Hot as expected. Strange but great on a sandwich.











Alright let's begin. I added jalapenos with the seeds and did not use any pickling cucumbers. The original recipe I tweaked from is at a site called Chicago Now.





The way I tweaked this recipe it has a delightful taste. I would describe it as a tangy relish.  The thing I really adore about this is I am not a big relish person but knowing that there are so many good veggies in this makes me want to try it on all my sandwiches and do not stop there. I used it yesterday with some cheese and home made crackers.

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower florets 

2 white onion

4 cups celery

2 cups carrots

2 cups red peppers
5 jalapenos chopped and seeded (keep the seed if you want more heat)
1 cup of pimento olives cleaned and drained and chopped

5 cups Apple Cider Vinegar (5 percent)
1 cup of Pure Olive Oil 

1/8 cup prepared mustard 

1/4 cup canning/pickling salt 

3 tbs celery seeds 

2 tbs mustard seeds 

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

                                           Directions

With all the veggies I cut them and put them into the food processor to get the same consistency as that of a relish. This ended up being such an easy recipe to make. The next batch I do I am going to take add cloves and the sugar and make it a little sweet and spicy.






Prior to chopping the vegetables. Combine the cleaned cut vegetables cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours with a 1/4 cup of pickling or kosher salt. (Please note that this is not mandatory if salt is not your thing skip this step) After one to two hours rinse well and chop up in the food processor.

In large pot, on medium heat combine vinegar and mustard and mix well.

Add celery seed, mustard seed, and spices.

Bring to a rolling boil





Now add the vegetables to hot liquid mix.

Cover bring to a boil for no more than 5 minutes.

Drain vegetables but save pickling solution

Put vegetables in sterile 1/2 pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space (this allows room for liquid)
* I use half pint because I never truly use that much at one time. But you can use either.

Add the liquid solution, leaving 1/4-inch head space







Wipe the rims,add the lids, tighten the rings and process jars for 15 minutes. I like to put a couple of carrot slices on the bottom of the jars and one or two on the top right before I put them into their bath.



You can see by my picture that some of the veggies did not get chopped up but I think the different sizes make a nice look so home made

Once they are processed remove the jar's and place them on a cloth cover counter overnight. Once cooled remove the rings , clean the jars. Now label your jars with contents and date. 

Enjoy !




Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.