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.
Vickie says
M.I.K.E…!!!
I’ve been following you and using several of your recipes over time. I was past due leaving a comment about how much I enjoy your recipes. They always seem to be spot on. I use my judgment on how many Chiles to use in any given recipe because I don’t have your tolerance for HOT! I wanted to say I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried on your site and the Giardiniera is no exception. My husband loves this, and we’ve been eating it on so many things as a condiment. Thanks for all you do and keep the great recipes coming out!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Vickie! VERY happy you're enjoying the recipes! Awesome!! I do appreciate it!!
paula worton says
Same here Vickie, I look forward to my emails and recipes which are all fantastic! Absolutely love this channel. Thank you CPM
Mike H. says
You are welcome, Paula! I am happy you are enjoying them!
Kathy Parker says
how can I make this without salt,?
Mike Hultquist says
Kathy, you can use a salt alternative in the brine for some flavoring. You'll still get plenty of flavor.
Bruce Cottam says
Please email the ingredience and instructions for extra hot, chicago style gordenaira and the same for hot pepper relish.
Mike Hultquist says
Bruce, just use hotter peppers with this recipe, and you can find Hot Pepper Relish on this site. Use the search bar. =)
Donnis says
Love this recipe
I made it 3 times already
I put it on pizza
Mike Hultquist says
Perfection! Thanks, Donnis!
BK says
Awesome Recipe! I double the serranos and jalapenos, use a food processor to chop everything, and I bag up everything in Gallon freezer bags then throw in a Sous Vide bath for an hour at 185 F to soften everything up. I'd put it up against Al's or Chickie's any day.
Also complements a Mississippi Roast (crock pot) beautifully. Roast, this Giardiniera, Fresh Bollilos, and Provolone (I prefer it, not traditional). This is easiest way to get your Italian Beef fix outside of Cook County. Inside, Johnnie's reigns supreme.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Thanks, BK! And YES on the pot roast. I have a recipe here for pot roast that uses giardiniera: Feisty Italian Slow Cooker Pot Roast (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/beef/feisty-italian-slow-cooker-pot-roast/).
ElleMichelle says
This is some of the best stuff I’ve ever put in my mouth! Chopping the veggies was a labor of love, but the payoff was well worth it. It’s a beautiful balance of flavor and crunch. I used a mixture of jalapeños and orange bell peppers because that’s what I had on hand. We ate this so fast I went to the store on Wednesday and bought a new supply of ingredients to make it again this weekend. Thank you, thank you!
Mike H. says
I am very glad that you've enjoyed it. Thank you!
Kozmo says
This is great. Heat, crunch, and freshness are perfect. I processed mine into a relish. Maybe because of that, it made only 2-1/2 pints and I had to add another 1/2 cup of oil/vinegar to cover the relish.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Kozmo! Thanks for sharing!
Emily says
I'm going to go a little crazy and try this with the lemon thyme from the garden in place of oregano. We'll see how it turns out.
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Pat says
Can this be canned in water bath?
Mike Hultquist says
It's best to not water bath process recipes with oil, Pat.
DOROTHY says
I have processed this, just like my Aunt did for years. I let sit for 6 months, then give away. The flavors really blend then.
Enjoy
Mike H. says
Thanks - enjoy!
Will Schmit says
I am from the Chicago area, and love Marconi brand (but it is hard to find). I make my own. I make it with (generally) the same ingredients above, but I allow the mixture to ferment at room temperature for a week in a 3% brine of pickling salt. I pour off the brine, and replace it with "light tasting" olive oil...
Mike Hultquist says
Perfection right there, Will! So nice to be able to make it at home.
Matthew says
When i lived in ohio I worked with a bunch of Lebanese people. The first time i ever had giardiniera was on eggs with spinach, tomato, onion, feta and a side of pita. I have never had a better meal for breakfast ever! I have been to as many diners as possible and nothing like that exists. Still think about it all the time. This isa good recipe for that kind of meal.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Matthew. Hopefully you can replicate that dish with this recipe. Enjoy!!
Sue says
Does this need a water bath to store over the winter?
Mike Hultquist says
Sue, look into pressure canning for preserving foods with oil.
Brian Martin says
I loved it but the oil waxed up on me? Did I do something wrong?
Mike Hultquist says
Brian, it will do that in the refrigerator. Just bring it to room temp and the oil will melt again.
Vermonter says
No, that happens if you use olive oil. Next time use a vegetable oil.
Tom Smith says
Canola or Grapeseed works best if you don't want it to congeal in the fridge. Also, you can add some Apple Cider Vinegar and/or some of the brine solution. Giardiniera is so versatile, many ways to experiment and find what you like best.