Giardiniera is simply a big salad of fresh veggies, lightly seasoned and pickled, that goes with everything. On its own as antipasto, always on sandwiches, definitely in pasta salads. This batch was made for an absolutely killer muffuletta salad – that recipe will be up on the blog tomorrow, so hurry up and make this today so it’s ready!
There are as many ways to make giardiniera as there are Italian grandmothers. Our recipe is pretty simple and endlessly customizable: equal parts apple cider vinegar, canola oil, and water to cover whatever chopped veggies you want. Beautiful lilac cauliflower was on sale for the same price as plain ol’ white, which gave this batch a lovely bright color.
This is our tried-and-true vegetable list, but feel free to experiment! Crisp, structured vegetables work best. Green beans hold up really nicely, while broccoli wilts.
Giardiniera is best stored in a large, airtight glass jar. This recipe makes enough to completely fill a half gallon container – I recommend a big latching jar like this one
I often use wide-mouth mason jars
Hot Italian Giardiniera
Ingredients
- 8 oz. hot peppers thinly sliced (see notes)
- 8 oz. sweet peppers thinly sliced (see notes)
- 1 1/2 cups cauliflower roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled & thinly sliced
- 2 large stalks celery sliced
- 1 large onion thickly sliced, slices quartered
- 8 cloves garlic lightly crushed
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups canola oil
- 2 T. italian seasoning
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Toss all the vegetables together until evenly mixed.
- Fold in apple cider vinegar, canola oil, and italian seasoning.
- Transfer the veggies to a glass storage jar and pour any remaining vinegar mix on top. Add water to just barely cover the veggies. Carefully shake to distribute.
- Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using to let the flavors soak together. Store in the fridge for up to a month.
Notes
Print Recipe
In step three you say to cover with water. Are you saying to use water instead of the vinegar mix?
Add the veggies tossed in vinegar to the jar and pour any extra vinegar mix on top, then add just enough water to cover the veggies – good question, I’ll update to make that clearer! Thanks!