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Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe
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4.96 from 45 votes

Homemade Chicago-Style Giardiniera Recipe (Hot Giardiniera)

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!
Prep Time2 days 12 hours
Total Time2 days 12 hours
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: chili peppers, condiment, recipe, spicy
Servings: 24
Calories: 20kcal

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

Makes about 1.5 quarts.
Vinegar. Many Chicago-style giardiniera 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 20kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2413mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg