I owe this recipe to our good friend Dr. Tom. Tom is our friend, an occasional swim training partner for my wife, a great guy and the inspiration for this DIY Giardiniera.

Giardiniera is one of those things that I have had on a sandwich and never knew how to make it nor what went in it. Our friend Dr. Tom gave us a jar of giardiniera and it was so good. It had the right spice and crunch and the oil was perfect for a sandwich.

Can giardiniera be used for anything other than a sandwich? How did GIARDINIERA become a Chicago staple? If you know what I am talking about, you know what a Chicago Beef is. Giardiniera hails from Italy. It means pickles. It was created as a way to preserve vegetables through pickling.

Chicago somehow adopted it. Giardiniera is a combination of peppers, cauliflower, carrots, chilies, olives and oil. It really can be a mix of other things but these ingredients are the traditional base. I have been putting this mixture on any sandwich I make. It adds so much.

The veggie ingredients.

The sauce/oil ingredients.

The cutting and developing of the giardiniera.

The DIY Giardiniera plated and place on a sandwich.

The Recipe

DIY Giardiniera

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Our friend Dr. Tom turned me on to this recipe for DIY Giardiniera. These pickled veggies are the perfect compliment to your favorite sandwich.

Recipe By Feed Your Soul Too

12 hours hrs

Prep20 minutes mins

Total12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings12 people

Scale

1x2x3x

Ingredients 

Veggies and Brine

• ▢ 1 Head Cauliflower, small dice
• ▢ 3 Stalks Celery, small dice
• ▢ 4 Whole Radishes, small dice
• ▢ 2 Whole Serranos, small dice
• ▢ 2 Whole Carrots, small dice
• ▢ 1 Whole Red pepper, small dice
• ▢ 4 Cups Water
• ▢ 1 Cup White wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Kosher salt

Sauce Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Cup Olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 Tsp Red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1/4 Tsp Ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 Tsp Oregano

Instructions 

Sauce Ingredients

• Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Veggies and Brine

• Cut the veggies very fine. Put in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat the water, vinegar and salt in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and dissolve the salt. Let cool a little.
• Pour the brine over the veggies and place in a refrigerator overnight. In the morning, pour off the brin and distribute the veggies into various sized mason jars. Pour in the sauce and let marinate until ready to use.
• Serve with your favorite sandwich. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Nutrition is an estimate per serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 75kcal (4%), Carbohydrates: 4g (1%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 6g (9%)