Spicy giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables)

Giardiniera is life. Giardiniera is happiness. Giardiniera is peace. In Chicago, giardiniera is a lifestyle, from Italian Beef Giardiniera to the spicy and hot giardiniera options. To my surprise, it's not easy to find a proper, real deal Chicago-style Giardiniera recipe on the internet... this video was created to fix that. It's easier to work by weight here to calculate the brine. Enter: the Gød condiment! From homemade giardiniera to pickled giardiniera, I’ve tested the best giardiniera options, including mild giardiniera and the classic Italian giardiniera. Let's dive in and create a delicious giardiniera mix that'll make your taste buds dance 🤘🏻 Adam

P.S. This stuff goes great on a classic Chicago-style Italian beef!

Yield: 2 pounds

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Giardinera (Spicy Pickled Vegetables)

Ingredients

Vegetables

• Half Cauliflower Head (260g), large dice
• 4 Celery Stalks (250g), large dice
• 3 Carrots, large dice
• 12 Serrano Peppers, seeded and diced (100g)
• 1 cup Green Olives, pitted (140g)
• Olive Oil, as needed

Salt Brine

• 8% Kosher Salt (weight of water + vegetables x .08)

Final Pickling Liquid

• Water (see note)
• Distilled White Vinegar (see note)
• 3 Tbsp Dried Thyme (9g)
• 3 Tbsp Dried Oregano (9g)
• 1 Tbsp Chili Flakes (5g)
• 6 Garlic cloves (30g), peeled

Instructions

1. Day 1: Add the cut vegetables to a large container and cover with water. Record the weight of the water and veg in grams then multiply by (.08) to get your salt measurement. Add the kosher salt (8% weight of water/veg) to the water and stir to incorporate. Set out covered at room temperature overnight.
2. Day 2: Place a large bowl on a scale and zero it out. Drain the salty brine into the bowl, record the weight, then discard the salty brine. To a medium sauce pan, add 50% of the weight of the liquid in water and the other 50% in white distilled vinegar. Add the spices and garlic to the pickling liquid, bring to a light boil and simmer for 5 minutes Pour the pickling liquid over the vegetables in the large container, let cool to room temperature then refrigerate. Let the vegetables sit in the fridge for 3 days before using.
3. Day 5: Strain the vegetables and discard the pickling liquid. Add the pickled vegetables to a food processor and pulse to make a minced, “relish-like”, consistency. Transfer the minced pickled vegetables to a sealable container then pour enough olive oil to cover. The giardiniera will last refrigerated for at least 2-3 months in a sealed container.

Adam's Notes

• To get the amount of water and vinegar needed in step 2, record the weight of the brine in grams then divide it by two and use that measurement to move onto step 3.
• To make the giardiniera last longer be sure to use a clean utensil when serving.

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