Giardiniera! - "From da Garden"
Giardiniera (which means “from the garden” in Italian) is a jarred, pickled vegetable mix - traditionally made with cauliflower, carrots, celery, and hot peppers, and flavored with vinegar, oil, and dried herbs. It’s a staple in Italian homes, served as an antipasto, side dish, or a right-out-of-the-jar snack.
Although I was raised on giardiniera, I also like to skrrt-skrrt around traditions sometimes. I was taught to waste as little food as possible, so I am a proponent of turning giardiniera into a sort of pickled vegetable chop suey - throwing in whatever scrap vegetables need to be used up, such as bell pepper, radish, corn, green beans and cabbage. But of course, cauliflower, carrots, and celery are the centerpiece of this chop suey. Feel free to listen to System of a Down while you make this, it will add to the flavor.
My other giardiniera idiosyncrasy is using fennel sprigs and sliced fennel bulbs, I just think it tastes really good ya know! The green sprigs and stalks make for an excellent herb-base, and slices of the bulb have a lovely crunch, perfect for the pickling process. Along with lemon zest, the fennel gives it a wonderful and unique earthy flavor.
As much as I love a classic cucumber dill, I am also a fervent experimenter in the art of pickling. To me there are few vegetables that are off-limits to pickling. I have successfully pickled everything from radishes to sweet corn to celery. But by far, my favorite vegetable to pickle is the humble cauliflower.
Keep in mind: This recipe is for fridge pickles, meaning there is no canning method used, the jar is not shelf-stable and should be kept refrigerated, and the pickles should be used up within a month or so. This also means that you can reuse store-bought food jars rather than using new mason jars.
When making the pickling liquid, I use this ratio:
1:1 ratio of vinegar and water (use mostly white vinegar, but some white wine vinegar is very good too)
1 tablespoon of salt per every 2 cups of water/vinegar mix. So if you use 2 cups of water and 2 cups of vinegar, add 2 tablespoons of salt, etc.
1 teaspoon of sugar (optional, if you don’t like sweetness in your pickles)
Spices/herbs:
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar, spices and herbs. Bring to boil, add salt and sugar, then reduce to simmer. Simmer on medium-low for about 20-30 minutes.
(Note: in the batch pictured below, I used star anise. This batch came out a little too licoricey tasting, so for the recipe I have taken out the star anise and reduced the amount of fennel sprigs)
Flavorings for the jar:
2-3 lengthwise slices of lemon peel
4-5 garlic bulbs, crushed with knife
2-3 serrano chilis, or fresno peppers, sliced lengthwise and seeds removed
2-4 sprigs of fresh fennel
Other good options: dried oregano, celery seeds, mustard seeds, olive oil
Place all flavorings into the bottom of the jar, using a spoon to push them down into the bottom.
From here, cut and prep your cauliflower, fennel bulb, and scrap vegetables. When I made this batch, I had half a yellow bell pepper, a few radishes, and a stalk of celery. Cut the head of cauliflower into bite-size florets, and slice all other vegetables into bites.
While the liquid is simmering, mix together all your vegetables in the jar. Try to push them into the crevices between the cauliflower florets so that as much possible space in the jar is taken up and as many possible vegetables are pushed into the jar (even with a large jar, there may be some leftover).
After the liquid is done simmering, strain out the herbs and spices using a strainer or cheesecloth. Let the liquid cool for about 5 minutes, then pour directly into the jar until all the vegetables are covered.
Note: One of the main reasons for using hot liquid (but not boiling) is to soften the vegetables just enough to have a more pleasant bite without making them cooked or mushy.
Once the liquid is poured, cover the top of the jar with a paper towel and let sit for 30 minutes to cool. Then remove the paper towel, tighten the lid and place in the fridge.
Now, you must refrain from opening the jar for at least 4-7 days, the longer the better. Give it time for all the flavors to incorporate. Every once in a while you can lightly shake the jar to ensure everything is evenly distributed, but do not open for one week.
After one week, you may open your concoction and enjoy. It is very good in a charcuterie board with a splash of olive oil on top, or eaten straight out of the jar.
Pickling is a form of alchemy.
Silk Road Gourmet
Thank you to all who read and support the endeavors of Silk Road Gourmet and the collective of artists known as Variety Jones. We are a humble operation with the intention of spreading some good in a world of chaos.
If you would like to help further, consider becoming a paid subscriber and gain access to even more information.
Check out our Spotify playlists:
Thank you.