Spicy Italian Giardiniera
WARNING: EASY TWO DAY PROCESS!!!!
Giardiniera is like a religion to my in-law Italian family. You are required to love it. And LOVE it I do! I have very deep American Cali roots, married into an Italian/Chez/Mid-Western Family. Living on the east coast. As a foodie and gardener, I must learn the affliction. Spicy, Loving it. Vegetables, Loving it more! Pickled with a little ferment, you got me hooked!
Giardiniera is a country food. You can add whatever you have on hand for vegetables or spices. There are a few requirements... vegetable mix, vinegar, garlic, other spices of preference. Everything else is gravy. There are spicy, not spicy, oily, vinegary, etc.
If you are water bath canning, then you need to do the Northern Italian Giardiniera recipe. That means vinegary and not oily. That is what I will be doing this time (I don't have a pressure canner and am not educated on how to do more than water bath canning). If you have a pressure canner, by all means, search out the southern recipe or Chicago and follow their directions! Always follow the USDA canning guidelines. Safety first! To make them Chicago and/or southern recipes, add 1/2 cup of oil after opening a canned jar and store in your fridge for two weeks after opening.
Link to USDA Canning Guide: https://nifa.usda.gov/press-release/usdas-complete-guide-home-canning-available
'bout to get canned! Poor jars!
Ingredients:
Day One
4 pounds of Jalapenos, sliced (make sure they look really good - I sliced in my food processor)
1-2 pounds bell peppers
1/2 head of cauliflower - chopped into small florets
1/2 - full bunch of celery
1 pound of carrots, sliced
1/2 cup of Kosher or Sea Salt
1/2 - 1 lb green beans
(feel free to switch out veggies, any combo will do - other options: onions, sweet peppers, zucchini, eggplant)
Day Two
~ 1 head garlic (1/2 to 1 clove per jar)
~ 3-8 bay leaves (1 per jar, depending on jar size)
4 c, white vinegar
1 T. white sugar
Optional per jar:
1/2 t. oregano
1/8 t. celery seeds
1/4 t. pepper corns
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (for extra spicy)
1/4 t. mustard seeds
Any other spices you like
Directions:
- Day 1: Chop all the veggies uniformly to your liking (small or larger bite size pieces).
- Place all the veggies in a large non-reactive (glass or ceramic is best) large bowl or pan and cover with 1/2 C. Kosher or sea salt,
- Cover the veggies with
enough water to keep them submerged. Use a plate or bowl to keep them under water for at least 6 hours, preferably over night. Do not leave for more than 16 hours. - Welcome to Day 2! Sanitize all your jars - boil or put them all through the dishwasher
- Drain and rinse the veggies really well.
- Add the spices to the jars. Add the optional ones you want. Do this and the next steps while the jars are hot so they don't break.
- Pack the veggies into your prepared jars using an canning packer if you have one or your hands or a spoon
- Make the brine: Boil the water, vinegar, salt until it hits a rolling boil.
- Pour the brine over the veggies in the jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space in each jar
- Wipe the lid of each jar with a clean paper town or towel and place the lid and ring on tightly.
- Bring a big pot (or canning pot) of water to boil (follow normal canning instructions here...)
- Boil Giardinia pint jars for 10 minutes - please research other jar size times :-) and elevation adjustments. Its an easy google!
- Listen for the ping! of the can sealing or check your jars to make sure the seal is sealed. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a few weeks.
- Add 1/2 cup of oil per pint after opening if you want that Chicago taste! Refrigerate after opening.
Into the bath with you!
And out waiting for the pings of the tops sealing!
No comments:
Post a Comment