How to Make Giardiniera (Chicago Style)
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.5 stars by 12 users
Category
Veggies
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
32
Prep Time
30 minutes
You need Chef Tom’s Chicago Style Giardiniera in your life! With just a little bit of knife work and a simple oil and vinegar marinade, Chef Tom demonstrates the simplicity of this iconic Chicago Condiment. This pickled veggie relish is perfect on Italian beef sandwiches, brats, eggs, and pasta salad to name a few.
Ingredients
- 1 cup serrano peppers, small dice
- 1 cup cauliflower, small dice
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice
- 1/2 cup carrot, small dice
- 1/2 cup celery, small dice
-
1/2 cup Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup sport peppers, small dice
- 1/2 cup green olives, small dice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3/4 cup Saica Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
1/4 cup Colonial Chile Oil
Directions
- To make the Chicago Giardiniera, combine the Serranos, cauliflower, red bell, carrot and celery in a small container. Add the 1/2 cup salt and toss to coat. Cover and let brine in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, rinse the veggies and discard any collected water. Place the veggies in a mixing bowl and add the sport peppers, green olives, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano and celery seeds. Toss well.
- Transfer to a quart sized mason jar. Add the vinegar and oils. Store in the refrigerator. Best after 2-3 days of sitting.
Recipe Note
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwich
How to make Chile Crunch
Recipe Highlights and Insights:
Giardiniera, a flavorful Italian condiment, traces its origins back to the late 19th century when Italian immigrants brought their culinary traditions to the United States. The word "giardiniera" translates to "female gardener" in Italian, reflecting its vegetable-centric nature. Initially crafted as a way to preserve surplus vegetables, giardiniera typically consists of a medley of pickled vegetables such as bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, and celery, seasoned with vinegar, herbs, and spices. Over time, regional variations emerged, with Chicago-style giardiniera being one of the most famous, featuring a spicy kick from the addition of hot peppers. Today, giardiniera is beloved for its tangy, crunchy texture and versatile use as a topping for sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and more, embodying the rich heritage of Italian-American cuisine.
Thanks for doing this. I watched it several times and followed your recipe exactly except. 1/2 cup serrano vs 1 cup, used another brand of kosher sea salt I had, 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 extra virgin olive oil infused with pepper flavor (both of those last two from a local cooking, olive oil and vineagar store.) I asked them where I could get chili oil and showed them what you suggested and they didn’t have any idea nor did that Colonial Chili oil – didn’t list anything local.
I reduced the serrano as I was a little scared it would be too spicy. The finished product rested 3 days in the frig and by looking at it after the first day I firgured it was a flop as it was. The top half of the jar was all congealed and assuming that was from the olive oil. I finally got that scooped out and tried a bite of the bottom which didn’t have much liquid and all I got was vinegar flavor (and frankly I don’t like vinegar so well.)
I am very green on these things and had no idea what “Chili Oil” or infused chili oil was. I looked in two stores and found some things called that but they all had the pepper flakes and things in them. I hoped the guys at the cooking store could help but they thought maybe it was the same as those in the stores with the ‘stuff’ strained out. They thought the infused olive oil with peppers would work.
Anyway it’s waaay too much work to try again so it hit the garbage. Yours looked good and the theory seems good as I love Chicago Giardinera so I’ll just have to stick with the store variety :( You really do great videos on things, they always seem to show what you are doing well !!
They should be good for at least a couple of weeks.
How long could you keep this stored in your refrigerator?
If you hit Ctrl-P, it will kick out a printable copy. There is also a print icon right above the Ingredients.
Would be nice if you had PDF of your recipes or a link to print them