Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe

Chicago style giardiniera is a zesty, tangy condiment that adds a burst of flavor to any dish. It's typically made with a mix of sliced vegetables like serrano peppers, bell peppers or jalapenos, celery, carrots, and cauliflower, all marinated in a blend of vinegar, olive oil, and an assortment of herbs and spices. This vibrant and colorful mix is perfect for topping Italian beef sandwiches, pizzas, adding a spicy kick to salads, and other dishes.

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe, Hot giardiniera recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 6

Servings cups

Calories 44kcal

Author Bon Appeteach

Equipment

Weck Jars

Ingredients

Giardiniera Ingredients

1/2 cup Cauliflower diced small
1.5 cups Carrots diced small
3 stalks Celery diced small
6 Serrano Peppers sliced and chopped (remove seeds if you do not want this to be spicy- see notes below)
2 Jalapenos seeds removed, diced small
4 cloves Garlic sliced

Pickling Liquid

1 cup White Vinegar
3 tbsp Kosher Salt
2 cups Cold Water
2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
Olive Oil as needed

Instructions

Chop the cauliflower, carrots, and celery into small pieces and set aside. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and dice into small pieces as well.
Take three of the serrano peppers and slice them into thin rounds with the seeds and set aside. Slice the remaining three serrano peppers in half and remove the seeds (this keeps the giardiniera spicy but not unbearable- if you want a LOT of heat then leave all the seeds in).
Slice the garlic cloves then combine all the vegetables together and set aside.
In a small pot over medium heat, boil the vinegar and the salt. Once boiling remove from the heat and add in the cold water, red pepper flakes, oregano, black pepper, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and let cool briefly.
Carefully pour the pickling liquid over the diced vegetables. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 3-4 hours.
After the vegetables have been resting in the liquid, strain the liquid out into a separate bowl (do not discard it). Remove the bay leaves (discard these).
Divide the vegetable and spices that were strained into jars. Ladle in enough of the pickling liquid that it only covers the vegetables halfway at most.
Pour a high quality olive oil over the vegetables until it is completely covering them and stir to combine. Cover and let them rest another 3-4 hours or overnight in the fridge to marinate.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and store in the fridge for 7-10 days at most. Real olive oil often solidifies at the top, so let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and stir before using each time. Use on Chicago Italian beef sandwiches, in tuna salad, on as desired.

Notes

Serranos are a fairly spicy pepper. I recommend removing the seeds from half the peppers so you get some heat, but not so much that it overpowers everything. You can choose to take out all the seeds for a milder giardiniera or leave them all in to burn your face off. Enjoy!

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