Giardiniera

Looking for a way to upgrade your sandwiches, cheese plates, cocktails, and more? Let me introduce you to giardiniera, a pickle-y vegetable medley I put on nearly everything. It’s true, you could just buy a jar from the store, but if, like me, you start finding yourself going through, ahem, too many of them, this is the recipe for you. Turns out, it’s actually wildly easy to make your own giardiniera—not quite a quick pickle, but certainly simple enough to make at home. Read on for all my top tips!

What Is Giardiniera?

Giardiniera is a bright and briny Italian antipasti that features a variety of colorful vegetables. You can find many variations, though they all have something in common: preserved or pickled vegetables. The two main kinds of giardiniera you can easily find today are Italian and Chicago-style.

Italian giardiniera is typically composed of larger pieces of raw vegetables that are often brined in salt before being plunged into a vinegar-based brine. Chicago-style, on the other hand, consists of much smaller pieces of vegetables that are often first pickled in vinegar, drained (sometimes), then added to oil. Italian-style, which is what I went with here, is more often eaten whole, as a side or accompaniment to a meal, whereas Chicago-style is usually eaten as part of a dish, like a muffuletta or a classic Italian beef sandwich.

How To Make Giardiniera

INGREDIENTS

• Cauliflower: Mild and crunchy, cauliflower is one vegetable you’ll always find in giardiniera. And don’t worry—if you’re not a fan of raw cauliflower, the overnight salt water step takes away a lot of that uncooked flavor.
• Red Bell Peppers: Red bell pepper is sweet and soft, and helps provide some vibrancy to giardiniera. I chose to cut the pieces small to medium so it’s perfectly bite-sized, but feel free to cut them however you prefer. Don’t have red pepper on hand? You can use orange or yellow bell peppers here instead.
• Carrots: This is another crunchy, sweet vegetable that is a must in giardiniera. Slicing them on a bias makes for a pretty presentation, but you can cut them into coins or half-moons too depending on the size of the carrots you have.
• Celery: When there are carrots, there’s celery! Although subtle in nature, celery is actually quite aromatic, especially closer to its stalk. It’s a little salty and crunchy, which makes it perfect for this recipe.
• Garlic: Smashing the garlic releases its oils more than keeping it whole. You’ll really notice how potent the garlic is after the initial overnight salt water soak. It’s another great way to impart flavor into the vegetables.
• Kosher Salt: Giardiniera is basically pickled vegetables, so salt is absolutely necessary in the process. Soaking the vegetables overnight in salt water results in them becoming well-seasoned and have a little less raw bite.
• Vegetable Oil: The oil is supposed to act as a fatty counterpart that cuts through the acidity. Without the balance of oil and vinegar, the mixture could either be too oily or far too pungent. Think of it like a salad! A neutral oil like vegetable or a lighter extra-virgin olive oil is what you’ll want to use to avoid overpowering your brine here.
• White Wine Vinegar: This is the more popular vinegar of choice for giardiniera. It has a puckery bite that results in the perfect flavor when balanced with oil.
• Black Peppercorn: I personally loved freshly cracked black pepper and wanted to incorporate some bits and pieces into the brine. Lucky you if you get one on a bite of cauliflower.
• Crushed Red Pepper: For a little heat factor, I added red pepper flakes. If you want to avoid heat entirely, feel free to skip. Alternatively, if you prefer stronger heat, add a fresh chili like a serrano or jalapeño.
• Fennel Seed: I’m a huge fan of anise in savory applications—like fennel sausage—but especially in a powerful pickled item like this one. Feel free to leave it out if you know you don’t like the flavor.
• Dried Herbs: It doesn’t feel right to leave out dried Italian herbs like basil or oregano here, and I list either as options. I personally prefer basil, but you do you.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Every step here is simple, so it’s important to follow the few steps that there are to ensure the most flavorful pickled vegetables. In my research, I found that soaking the pieces of vegetables in salt water overnight penetrated them perfectly, so don’t skip this step! In a large bowl toss cauliflower, bell pepper, carrot, celery, garlic, and salt. Pour water into the bowl, making sure the vegetables are submerged in water. Place in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. I let mine go for at least 24, so don’t stress if it’s a little more.

At this point, you can make the pickling liquid and allow it to sit in the refrigerator overnight if you want to get ahead. You can make it the same day you’ll be using it to brine your vegetables too. In a large bowl, whisk some vinegar, oil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, fennel, and dried basil or oregano.

Once your vegetables have been salt-soaked for at least 12 hours, drain them and divide them between 2 containers. I used deli quarts, but glass jars or even a bowl would work too. Pour the pickling liquid over your vegetables (making sure to get a good mix of the herbs in each container!), then store in the refrigerator for another 12 to 24 hours before eating. Enjoy!

The complete list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Need to make giardiniera in a pinch? Like, RIGHT NOW? Heat the pickling liquid, pour over the vegetables, and let them chill for a couple of hours. This isn’t technically the proper way to do this but, if you need something fast… go for it.
• Get creative: If you don’t have a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, use the bottom of a small pan or metal bowl to crush the peppercorns. You can use your knife to chop up the fennel seeds too if you’d like them smaller.

Storage

Giardiniera can last up to 2 weeks, refrigerated, in an airtight container. If you want to preserve it for future use, follow these best canning practices.