This Chicago-style giardiniera recipe is the ultimate condiment with fresh peppers and veggies in oil and seasonings, an absolute must for Italian beef sandwiches!
Hot Giardiniera (Chicago-Style)
Today we're bringing you a taste of Chicago, my spicy food loving friends, with a condiment that belongs in your recipe box favorites. It's called Chicago-Style Giardiniera, and I think you're going to love it.
Patty and I were both born and raised in the Chicago area, and Chicago is well-known for its selection of beef sandwiches.
If you're from Chicago or anywhere near there, you can't order a beef sandwich without giardiniera. It's a "must try", the perfect condiment for roast beef or any type of sandwich.
You can get mild giardiniera or hot giardiniera, and I always go for the "hot".
I personally love it piled onto a hot dog or over a crispy toasted sub sandwich, and enjoy it on my pizza. We had several beef joints to choose from, and giardiniera was always on the menu. It's a must have for me, so I make homemade giardiniera all the time.
Let's talk about how to make giardiniera, Chicago style, shall we? Hot giardiniera for me!
Chicago-Style Giardiniera Ingredients
- Peppers. My recipe calls for 5 jalapeno peppers and 5 sport peppers or serrano peppers for more of a "hot giardiniera". If you'd prefer a "mild giardiniera", use 2-3 large green and/or red bell peppers instead.
- Vegetables. Use 1 cup chopped cauliflower, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs and 1/2 to 1 cup of olives (from the jar), all thinly sliced or chopped.
- Oil (and Vinegar, if desired). Use 1 cup of good quality olive oil and 1 cup of white wine vinegar. Some Chicago style giardiniera brands use only oil. If you prefer no vinegar, replace it with water or more oil.
- Seasonings. I use lots of minced fresh garlic, dried oregano, celery seeds, crushed red pepper flakes and a touch of freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make Giardiniera (Chicago-Style) - The Recipe Method
Brine the Vegetables. To a large bowl, add peppers with cauliflower, peppers, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water and refrigerate for 12 hours, covered. I often brine for 24 hours.
Drain and rinse away the brine. Set aside.
Make the Giardiniera. In a separate bowl, add garlic, oregano, celery seed and ground pepper to taste. Add oil and vinegar (or water, if using) and whisk to combine.
Add to your vegetable mixture.
Add in the chopped olives and mix well.
Jar and Refrigerate. Pack the vegetables into Mason jars, ensuring the vegetables are covered with your oil mixture. You can add extra olive oil if needed to cover the mixture.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 days before using, to allow flavors to mingle with the pickled vegetables. A week is better!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Vinegar. Many Chicago-style brands do not include vinegar in their recipes, and instead use only oil or oil with some water. Feel free to use either. Your giardiniera will last longer in the refrigerator with vinegar, however, as vinegar is a preservative. The choice is yours.
- Other Ingredients. As the name indicates, you can use any garden fresh vegetables for this recipe. Others you might include are radishes, gherkins, olives and more.
- How Long Does Giardiniera Last? Giardiniera will keep several weeks in the refrigerator, covered, due to the acidity of the vinegar. If you use only oil, use it within 2 weeks.
- Preserving. Home canning is not recommended for recipes with oil. However, you can skip the oil and use a brine of vinegar and water. Then you can process the jars in a hot water bath of boiling water for longer keeping as long as the acidity is high enough. Shoot for 3.5 or lower pH.
- Italian Vs. Chicago-Style Giardiniera. Chicago giardiniera or "hot giardiniera" is meant to be a condiment, with more of a focus on the peppers, where Italian Giardiniera serves larger cut vegetables and is meant to be an appetizer or antipasto.
Storage Information
Store your homemade Chicago-style giardiniera in the refrigerator in sealed containers. It should last you several weeks this way.
It is normal for some types of oil to congeal in the cold. Simply bring the jar to room temperature and it will thin out again.
Best Giardiniera Peppers
Sport peppers are the traditional chili pepper that make Chicago-style giardiniera "hot". Home cooks can skip the hot peppers and use only bell peppers for the popular "mild" version.
I make homemade giardiniera frequently, though you typically need to make a larger batch, so plan accordingly. I call for jalapeno peppers in this recipe, as well as serrano peppers.
And if you REALLY want to kick this up a notch, go for the habanero pepper, or be like Mike and add in some superhots.
Yeah, baby. Bring on the heat! I know you want to, you crazy chilihead, you. I love hot giardiniera.
This is certainly Chicago at its finest, though, and won't blow your taste buds with heat. You'll get a nice kick and plenty of flavor. Enjoy!
Serving Chicago-Style Giardiniera
Chicago mild or hot giardiniera is a must for Italian beef sandwiches or roast beef, though you can serve it over any type of sandwich, hot dogs, sausages or brats, pretty much any type of sandwich or on anything off of the grill. We love it on our pizza. It truly is a wonder condiment.
Try it on my Easy Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwich recipe, which we love.
I also love it mixed in with lots of olives to make this amazing muffaletta sandwich. So good!
It is best served at room temperature, as the oils can congeal from refrigeration as you store it.
Patty's Perspective
It is amazing how versatile this recipe can be. You don't only have to use it for sandwiches, especially a good beef sandwich. We made some flatbread pizzas with it, and even tossed it over grilled salmon. Think of it as a vegetable sauce. Think outside the box!
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 60.
Check Out Some of My Other Popular Condiment Recipes
Try it On Some of These Popular Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Homemade Chicago-Style Giardiniera Recipe (Hot Giardiniera)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cauliflower florets chopped (about 1/4 head of cauliflower)
- 5 jalapeno peppers diced (use bell peppers for mild giardiniera
- 5 serrano peppers diced (or use sport peppers - optional, for hot giardiniera)
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1 cup olive oil (extra virgin is best, though you can use vegetable oil)
- 1 cup vinegar (or use water, like many Chicago giardiniera brands - see the Recipe Notes)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
- Ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup green olives chopped
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add peppers with cauliflower, peppers, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water and refrigerate at least 12 hours, covered. I often brine for 24 hours.
- Drain and rinse away the brine. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add garlic, oregano, celery seed, crushed red pepper flakes and ground pepper to taste. Add oil and vinegar (or water) and whisk to combine.
- Add to your vegetable mixture.
- Add chopped olives and mix well.
- Place it all into jars, ensuring the vegetables are covered with your oil mixture.
- Refrigerate at least 2 days before using, to allow flavors to mingle. A week is better! Should last you 2-3 weeks.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/14/24 to include new information, photos and video. It was originally published on 5/3/15.
DAVID BOSTON says
On my 4th or 5th batch. I also like to rough cut veggies, brine the pulse in food processor for more of a relish consistency when put on brats or dogs in buns. Chunky for topping everything else. Excellent.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice!!
Mike says
Can you put onions in it
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You surely can, Mike. It's not traditional, but would be just fine here if you prefer it. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Genia Bodishbaugh says
Omg, thank you for this recipe. Amazing and so fresh. I also grind this in my food processor and add to my meatball mixture. Gives a little zip and moisture.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes! Sounds wonderful!
Bob Evans says
Love the stuff, I made a batch this past fall. I find it great on salads with tuna or salmon. Skip the dressing wow. My copy of the recipe got ruined and I've been searching on line to find it. I now have multiple copies and downloaded it too. Thanks for the great recipe !!!!!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Bob! One of our favorites for sure. Taste of home.
Bonnie J Sweeney says
How much is one of your serving sizes? I am making a large order of pints and trying to figure out what I need! Thank you!
Bonnie
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bonnie, it's about 1/4 cup. This recipe makes 1.5 quarts or so.
Larry says
I love this stuff and can never have enough of it on hand. I grew up in Wrigleyville, literally right across the street from Wrigley Field, and have been eating giardinera since I was a sprout.
Very hard to find it down here in Texas, where I now live, so making it is my only option really.
I like it more oily, so I reduced the vinegar to 1/2 cup and increased the olive oil to 1 1/2 cups.
And that, for me is heaven. And it keeps for several months in the fridge, without overwhelming me with vinegar.
And it goes perfect with my homemade Italian Beef, along with roasted green peppers and provolone cheese on a hoagie roll, dipped of course.
Thanks for another great recipe, Mike.
Oh, and GO CUBS!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Larry! I know, now that we've moved away from Chicago, I need to make our own constantly! And homemade Italian beef! You just can't get it around here. Thanks, man!
Michelle says
I love this recipe. Family also loves it, they have asked for the recipe. We were looking for something to make with all of our home grown peppers besides pico de gallo. We add some homegrown hot banana peppers as well. Have already made 2 batches.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Michelle! Glad you enjoyed it!
Janet Wiles says
Can the Giardiniera be frozen instead of canned?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Janet, I don't believe giardiniera freezes very well. I would just refrigerate or can it.
Nunu says
People mention zucchini in the comments but I don't see zucchini in the recipe itself.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nunu, you can sue zucchini in yours if you'd like to. I usually do not use it in my Chicago-Style Giardiniera. However, it's great with Italian style.
Bill says
I made this recipe about a month ago. Had some family over for a cookout, and pulled out a jar. It was a huge hit, soooo good been asked when am i gonna make more.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Bill! Super happy everyone enjoyed it!
Melissa says
I have mine brining right now, can't wait to taste the final product! I appreciate your thorough video as well, thank you. I noticed in the recipe it says to rinse off the brine, but you don't do this in your video. How come?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Melissa. I didn't rinse the brine as I do like it a bit salty, but rinse if you are concerned with salt levels. Take care!
Nizzy says
This recipe sounds absolutely amazing and I am excited to try it but can I can this recipe for later in the year? If so can you tell me how?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Nizzy. You can preserve this by canning, but check the acidity first. You may need to add more acid, or do pressure canning. Here is a link to help: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/canning-or-jarring-chili-peppers/
Chris Cabrera says
This is the second year making your recipe. We love it but the same thing happened last year. I put the vegetables in pint size jars instead of quarts and I run out of the oil and vinegar mixture. I never have enough to cover the vegetables like the recipe calls for. I have to make another batch of oil mixture and top each jar. Also the olive oil solidifies after awhile. Too much oil or maybe cheap olive oil. Thank you we still like the giardiniera.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Chris. I do mention in the recipe - "You an add extra olive oil if needed to cover the mixture." All good. You're doing the right thing. The oil does solidify in the fridge from the temperature. Glad you like the recipe, and thanks for commenting!