Learn how to make giardiniera, a tangy Italian condiment made with a mix of garden veggies, hot peppers, garlic, and spices, marinated in vinegar and olive oil.
Look and you will find it- what is unsought will go undetected.
Sophocles
Giardiniera, pronounced jar-dih-NAIR-ah, in Italian, means from the garden. And it’s perfect for preserving your fall harvest for just a little bit longer! Serve it as tasty side dish, or on your next antipasto platter, as a crunchy addition to sandwiches and wraps- we love to chop it up finely!
Easily customizable, make it spicy with more hot peppers, or go mild with fewer peppers and seeds removed to reduce heat. For a very mild version, you can skip the jalapeños and use only sweet bell peppers.
The vegetables are soaked in salt water for a day or two. After that, they are drained, rinsed, and mixed with a tasty dressing. Soaking in salt water helps keep the vegetables ultra crisp!
You can prepare the veggies for Giardiniera in many different ways! Chop in large pickle-sized pieces or in bite-sized chunks for a tangy condiment. My family’s favorite way to enjoy Giardiniera is to dice the veggies finely and use it as a versatile relish to enliven sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pastas, and antipasto platters.
Why You’ll Love This
So many colorful vegetables! A great way to use up veggies from your garden, plus it’s a healthy condiment to add to any dish- full of vitamins and antioxidants!
Make it hot or mild. You can use hot or sweet peppers depending on your preference.
Bite-size pieces or finely chopped, you decide! We do love it finely diced-better for sandwiches!
A tangy condiment and versatile relish. Use on sandwiches, salads, or antipasto platters.
Italian Giardiniera Recipe Ingredients
Vegetables: Red bell pepper, carrots, celery, fennel bulb (highly recommended), chili peppers, serrano peppers, jalapeños, and cauliflower florets. Use your garden or the farmers market for inspiration! Use hot or mild peppers or a mix of both.
Garlic cloves: Sliced or slivered, they add bold aromatic flavor to the brine.
Kosher salt: To help pickle the veggies, while enhancing the flavors of the spices.
White wine vinegar: To create a pickling brine. We prefer white wine vinegar, but you can use white vinegar– though you may have to adjust the brine with more water.
Olive oil: To give the brine a rich and balanced flavor and oily texture.
Spices: Dried oregano, red pepper flakes, celery seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.
Sugar: For a subtle sweetness that balances the acidity of the brine.
Optional additions: Green olives, juniper berries, or fresh green beans- just to name a few. Get creative!
How to Make Giardiniera
Step one: Prep the veggies by chopping them into bite-sized pieces or large chunks- or you can finely dice them to make a relish. (We prefer them finely diced!)
Step two: Transfer veggies to a large bowl and mix with salt. Cover with water, then place a small plate inside the bowl to keep the veggies submerged. Cover the bowl and let sit for 24-48 hours at room temperature. Salting removes water from the veggies, resulting in a lovely crisp texture.
Step three: Pour the veggies into a colander and rinse with cool water. Once drained, transfer to a bowl.
Step four: Add the vinegar, water, olive oil, spices (oregano, red pepper flakes, celery seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, and peppercorns), and sugar. Mix, then transfer everything to a jar that seals tightly. Pack the veggies in so they are tucked under the brine. Refrigerate 3 days before eating for the best flavor.
Giardiniera Variations
Make it hot or mild: For hot giardiniera, use jalapeños, serrano peppers, and chili peppers. For a milder version, simply use bell peppers.
Add olives: For an extra tangy, rich giardiniera, add your favorite type of olives! Green olives are especially nice. Chop or slice the olives.
Skip the vinegar: If you wish, you can just use olive oil and leave out the vinegar. We love the tanginess that white wine vinegar adds, but if you choose to leave it out, add extra oil or water. Keep in mind, vinegar helps preserve the veggies for even longer! If just using oil use up within 1 week.
Add onions: We leave them out because they can sometimes make the veggies bitter. If you choose to add onions, use pearl or cipollini onions.
Add pepperoncini: Add just one or two of these pickled green hot peppers if you’d like! They have a strong flavor that may take away from the veggies, but if you like them, add them!
Add juniper berries: These are nice for a citrusy, piney flavor.
Try other vegetables! As giardiniera means from the garden, you can really use any other veggies you’d like. Green beans are another popular option!
Storage
Giardiniera will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for a month, or sometimes even longer. When removing from the fridge, let it sit for about 20 minutes to come to room temperature. The olive oil can congeal when refrigerated, so this will help bring it back to normal.
Serving Suggestions
This authentic Italian Giardiniera can be enjoyed in so many ways! You may have also heard of Chicago-style Giardiniera, which is commonly served on hot dogs or Italian beef sandwiches. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy this recipe!
Giardiniera has a tangy, pickled, herby, aromatic flavor that is sometimes spicy or can be mild depending the on the peppers used.
Is giardiniera a Chicago thing?
Giardiniera actually originated in Italy and is a traditional Italian method for pickling vegetables in a vinegar brine. But giardiniera did become popular in Chicago in the mid-to-late 19th century.
How do you pronounce giardiniera?
Giardiniera is pronounced jar-dih-NAIR-ah, which translates to from the garden.
What is the difference between Chicago giardiniera and Italian giardiniera?
The main difference between Chicago and Italian giardiniera is that Chicago-style typically includes a spicier mix of pickled vegetables served as a condiment on sandwiches, while traditional Italian giardiniera features a milder assortment of marinated vegetables used more broadly as a side dish or condiment.
Please share how you used your Giardiniera! Enjoy!
How to make giardiniera, a tangy Italian condiment made with oil and vinegar and garden vegetables! Use a mix of garden veggies, hot peppers, garlic, and spices, and marinate in vinegar and olive oil. Makes a great hostess gift!
Veggies and Brine
Marinating Vinaigrette
optional additions: green olives, juniper berries, fresh green beans
Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces. Alternatively, you can cut them into larger chunks or dice them into uniform small pieces to use as a relish.
Mix veggies with salt and cover with filtered water. Place a small plate inside the bowl to keep the vegetables submerged. Cover and let sit 24- 48 hours at room temperature. Salting removes water from the veggies, making the vegetables crisp.
Rinse vegetables thoroughly in a colander with cool water. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
Add vinegar, water, olive oil, oregano, and all the spices: red pepper flakes, celery seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, peppercorns and sugar. Combine the mixture together and transfer to a jar that seals tight. Pack the veggies in so they are tucked under the brine.
If you need more liquid to cover the veggies add equal parts vinegar and water to top off. Refrigerate for at least 3 days before eating for the best flavor!
Notes
It is normal for olive oil to congeal when refrigerated. Just leave it at room temperature for about 20 minutes to return to normal.
Giardiniera will last for a month or more in the fridge.
This recipe makes roughly 6 cups large chopped and 4 cups if diced small.
We opt for no onions as they can sometimes make the veggies bitter.
