Just as an aside, speaking of nachos, the Plymouth (in the loop) puts them on their nachos. The waitress asked if we wanted hot or mild nachos. I had never heard that question asked before and was super excited when they came out with giardiniera on top instead of jalapenos.

I am a huge fan of ordering thin crust giardinera pizza, all baked in goodness.

Plymouth Restaurant
327 S Plymouth Ct
Chicago
312-362-1212

Ditto on the Pizza. Perfect pizza for me? - good sausage and hot giardiniera. Ever wanna make a storebought frozen pizza into something pretty good? I actually bought a few Digiorno's over the weekend, since I'll be working late for the next few weeks. Maybe I'll bake them up tonight with somma my habanero / garlic giard.

I went into Bari the other day to pick up a jar of giardiniera. My options were mild, hot or super hot. I opted for the super hot, thinking it wouldn't be quite as advertised. I was wrong. There is a huge habanero component and these habaneros (at least in the jar I took home) are particularly fiery.

I used a bit to substitute for Indian pickle on a potato and cauliflower dish and quickly broke out into a full sweat. I'd recommend the super hot giardiniera at Bari if you like it super hot.

Just a note to Whostolemyid2006 on the recipe.
The BEST I've tried!!
Have a new batch in now due to the masses who ate the first one and then took doggie jars home. I'm trying soybean(vegetable oil as they like to call it) in this batch like Marconis use in their recipe. Made it mild by seeding the serranos and jalapenos and now have some semi mild with partially seeded peppers.
Being from Arizona and always making salsa I decided to make some Italian salsa as I call it and everyone was very pleased. Now however they want it kicked up a notch to try some Italian Heat.
Thanks for the recipe, always looking for good ones. Yes,a local restaurant has asked for some to try with Italian Beef sandwiches and believe it or not people use it on their morning eggs just like Mexican salsa.

Nice to see that many others share our love for Giardiniera.

What I am wondering... and maybe Cathy2 will want to address this... is how do the oily Giardinieras get made? I am a particular fan of Caputo's brand and it is clear that there is no vinegar in it. Not much salt either. It is just vegetables packed with oil and the veggies are so crispy that I can't imagine that they were even parboiled.

Are they using some kind of relatively inoffensive chemical treatment for the veggies?

deesher wrote:I went into Bari the other day to pick up a jar of giardiniera. My options were mild, hot or super hot. I opted for the super hot, thinking it wouldn't be quite as advertised. I was wrong. There is a huge habanero component and these habaneros (at least in the jar I took home) are particularly fiery.

Huge habanero component is an understatement. So far as I can tell, the super hot is all habanero peppers, with olive oil, garlic, some capers, and spices. I grabbed some on my way out, not at all expecting habaneros to find their way into an Italian/Italian-influenced food item. Still, this stuff is really yummy. As a side-benefit, the oil they're preserved in is excellent for drizzling on whatever you want to add that habanero flavor to. I top off the peppers with some Goya extra-virgin olive oil (a decent, low-price brand that tastes good on its own because, well, the more delicate nuances of an expensive olive oil are going to get obliterated by the habanero anyway) so I have plenty of habanero oil on hand when I want it.

Colin wrote:What I am wondering... and maybe Cathy2 will want to address this... is how do the oily Giardinieras get made? I am a particular fan of Caputo's brand and it is clear that there is no vinegar in it. Not much salt either. It is just vegetables packed with oil and the veggies are so crispy that I can't imagine that they were even parboiled.

I believe that in commercial varieties of vegetables in oil, they either pasteurize or irradiate the vegetables before adding to the oil.

I was just at Stanley's and looked at their offerings, and the G they had had "sulfites" in the ingredients. As a brewer I am comfortable with Potassium metabisulfite... Any thoughts about this option?

Lou... that is an option, but my irradiator is broken

CB

So, we are enjoying some Il Primo Giardiniera (from Stanley's at North Ave and 90/94) which is an oil/vinegar based Giardiniera on pita with yoghurt. It is nice, tangy but a bit hot for my taste... which is strange because I love the hot stuff. No taste of sulfite either, though it is supposed to be in there.

Bump.

Any ideas about how to make a crispy oil based Giardinera?

Cathy2 answered your question upthread.

For home canned food recommendations by reliable sources, you will never find oil in any significant quantity. There can be trace amounts for sauteing vegetables for a marinara sauce. The problem is oil transfers heat differently than water or vinegar. Safe procedures for home canned products with oil don't exist. They are not likely to happen either, because home canning research is not well funded.

Any thoughts about sulfites though?

lougord99 wrote:Cathy2 answered your question upthread.

For home canned food recommendations by reliable sources, you will never find oil in any significant quantity. There can be trace amounts for sauteing vegetables for a marinara sauce. The problem is oil transfers heat differently than water or vinegar. Safe procedures for home canned products with oil don't exist. They are not likely to happen either, because home canning research is not well funded.

It's more than just heat transfer -- you can't get the levels of salt, acid or sugar high enough to deter microbial growth. Botulin spores, in particular, can survive heat, but will not grow in acidic or sufficiently salty or sugary (both hydroscopic) environments. The vegetable oil on the other hand, is a growth medium.

So I don't know what the canners do to ensure safety. It may involve culturing samples from each batch lot, something home canners are less likely to do, or have the tools to analyze what kinds of microscopic beasties grow (gram staining, microscopic analysis, etc.).

Wow. So they make up a batch and then test it and periodically throw out entire batches? This is getting more complex the more I look into it.

Colin

Colin wrote:Wow. So they make up a batch and then test it and periodically throw out entire batches? This is getting more complex the more I look into it.

Colin

The commercial food industry is quite different from home canning. Even a small beef stand may just prepare their giardinera and keep it in the fridge and use it up, rather than trying to preserve it. If there is a bad batch (which I assume is rare), maybe it affects a couple people, and it's gone with the next batch.

A bigger company must make tons of stuff with consistent quality and has a financial responsibility to its shareholders to minimize risk. Large batches probably do not get disposed of frequently, because their quality control stays consistent. But if you make 10,000 bottles, test, say, 10 for contaminants. If there's a problem, yes, you junk them -- it's a darn sight cheaper than 10,000 lawsuits for food poisoning, or trying to recall those same 10,000 bottles later (ref: peanut butter scandal in recent months -- even if you do recalls, your reputation is tarnished).

I do not have firsthand experience in the food industry, I'm just basing the above on what I read in the papers. I do have exposure to the pharmaceutical industry, where the quality control is even more tightly regulated.

Hmm Found some pics on one of the cameras. Steve Z, I think you mentioned that the seebee's giardiniera at The Brown Sack could pack a little more heat for you. I told you about my "private reserve" batches. See if you can guess which is which?
Hint:I use the habaneros after they turn red

I'm getting anxious about this year's batch already. My csa guy got a hold of some bhut jolokia seeds
Ways to go yet, but something to look forward to.

I found a thing of beauty in Fiore's giardiniera recently. It's oil and vinegar based, which means there's a pleasant, but not overwhelming tang. The unquestionable presence of acid means that it's clean tasting (as opposed to the funkiness I detect in the all-oil based Bari giardiniera). I like that Fiore's version is balanced, and contains crunchy veggies that are cut small enough to stay on a sandwich. It's dangerous, though, as half a jar is already gone.



Notice the olives:


Fiore's Delicatessen
2258 W Erie St
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 942-9419

I thought I would throw out another "local" option for Giardiniera - Bunyon's.

Disclaimer: Bunyon's is my aunt's family. Her father owned/operated Bunyon's Beef in Cicero (on the old route 66) for about 40 years. They had a giant Paul Bunyon statue on the property and aptly named the beef stand such.

Anyway, I guess the giardiniera has always been hand chopped and they've bottled the original recipe for grocery store distribution. It contains both oil and vinegar as well as the usual suspects. The two ingredients I don't see often in other giardiniera that I found in Bunyon's are olives, whole pepperoncinis and lupine beans. I know Fiore's (above thread) has olives and I like theirs very much.

You can find it at the new Whole Foods in Lincoln Park (where I bought it). If you have any comments or critiques, I can send them along.

Having recently made my first batch of peppers per the specs above, I am now wondering how people keep the oil from gumming up. My jars keep jelling up and I have to microwave for 20 s to dissolve. I've turned my fridge temp up, but it keeps happening. Any tips?

I'm new to this site and found it on a google search for giardiniera recipes. My brother and I go through this stuff like it's going out of style, so I figured since I'm the cook in the mix, I'd try to find a decent recipe. Right now, his favorite is Dell'Alpe Hot and I haven't decided yet.

There are a couple things that we don't like in the mix: carrots and cauliflower. It's not that we don't like these veggies, just not in giardiniera. I seem to prefer using Serrano peppers over jalapeño peppers, but sometimes mix them together. It seems like most of the recipes I've found don't use enough celery. This seems like a big mistake.

Does the type of oil make a difference? I like to use olive oil because that's what I usually have around. There also seems to be a lot of different opinions on how big the ingredients should be cut.

With giardiniera, the best thing about making it yourself, is making it how you like it. I have used both olive oil and canola oil. I prefer the canola just because you don't get a big hit of flavor from the oil competing with all of the other additions. For awhile, I was going through about a jar per week of this stuff, but have cooled off as of late.

I seem to remember an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (or some other show on Food Network) where the main ingredient was celery (other than peppers). I tend to like mostly green stuff in my giardiniera with a little bit of red. I agree that since I'm the one controlling things in this thing, but found it disturbing that I couldn't find a recipe on-line which was close to our tastes. Guess it's time start experimenting. That's OK, it's something I've always liked to do. Been doing it with pizza dough for a couple months, but that'll have to be another thread.

So, after getting some nice bags o chiles from the csa guy, operation giardiniera was in full effect this past wknd. It's a two day affair. Day one is for cleaning, chopping and brining, day two is for rinsing, sterilization, and jarring. Took a few pics. Wanna see em? Here they go.

The main characters:

Clockwise from top left: Red Jalapenos for sweet, fruity flavor; THE bhut jolokias; mildish jalapenos; thai finger hots; serranos.

THE bhut Jolokia:


Supporting cast:


So, basically, it's pretty simple stuff. You brine some vegetables, stick them in jars, cover with oil and vinegar,
and store it in the fridge. There are recipes all over the web. Tailor one to your tastes, and you will never buy the cooked
jarred stuff in soybean oil again. What works for me:

I use the cuisinart. I like a finer dice than most for ease of spreading.
I don't use a lot of celery. I find it overpowering.
I use the pre-jarred chopped garlic.
I give a quick rinse to about half of the veggies after the soak in salted water.--I go for a flavor profile of heat, garlic,
and a tiny bit of salt. I do not want the giard to add a lot of saltiness to whatever it's going on.
I let it sit in the fridge for at least two weeks before opening.

So, I cuisinart each set of like veggies together. The cauliflower and celery I do by hand:


For this go round, I'm gonna do jars with the bhut jolokia separately. Here's the fiesta of chiles:


And here's the chopped ghosts:


Everything gets covered with a very salty solution over night in the fridge:


Next day:
Drain (and give a quick rinse to about half of the mixture)


I wind up with a bowl of fiesta grande:


Don't deny this looks like a party:


So, I pour a decent amt of vinegar into the bowl, sterilize jars and lids:


Fill the jars about 3/4 full with the veggie mix and vinegar, and fill the rest of the jar with evoo:

And into the fridge for two weeks they go. The jar in the middle on the right is chock full of bhuts. The jar middle left will probably wind up at The Brown Sack in a few weeks. I'll make another dozen or so jars next weekend.

seebee wrote:Don't deny this looks like a party:

I ain't denying. I'm here to testify!

That is some beautiful stuff!

That is extremely impressive. Nice work!

I avoid canning both water bath and pressure method preparations that contain oil because I just don't know that much about how to something like that properly or whether it can be done safely at all.
I do love Giardiniera and decided to make my own. I also wanted to cut down on the oil for health reasons.
I used a simple mixture of chopped celery, seeded and chopped jalapenos I had picked myself (grocery store jalapenos have no heat anymore), fresh oregano, crushed garlic, cracked anise seed from Penzy's, an excellent Spanish Extra Virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, salt to taste.
As I Posted the oil level was minimized but I also wanted the mouth feel of the oil so a balance was essential.. We served this with my own Italian beef and it was judged by everyone to be very good . It was better after a couple of days of course.
I should think it will keep for at least a week.
Based on the taste and sensory evaluation, it meets the heat level, fresh oregano supplies an Italian taste that dry cannot match and the cracked anise really sets it off. A good olive oil and vinegar are also essential.
I was/am quite pleased.-Dick

budrichard wrote:...grocery store jalapenos have no heat anymore...

I know what you're saying here, but I swear, the ones I've been getting this year for the MOST part have been incendiary. I think they have been bred to be more mild for grocery stores, but most of the ones I've gotten from my local Mexican fruit markets this year are seriously sizzlin compared to years past, imo.

I made some 'Pop's Style' hot peppers for the fridge last night. I grew up on Pop's, my mom grew up across the street from St. Xavier and we used to spend Sundays at my grandmas place where she grew up with the aunts, unc, cousins etc...We used to always bike down to Pop's on Kedzie for beefs with hot and gravy breads (extra peppers) every Sunday as a snack before dinner. Pop's does a fresh style using what is just sliced fresh jalapenos and celery as the base.


Thinly sliced jalapeno and celery

I've been playing around with making homemade fresh giardiniera like this for a while. Yesterday I used approx. 15 jalapenos and four stalks of celery and then added in 1/3 cup vegetable oil and enough olive oil to almost cover it up, maybe another 1/3 or 1/2 cup. Into that mixture went salt, fresh ground black pepper, plenty of red pepper flakes and this time around - garlic powder which is what I think took it from almost there to basically there as far as how Pop's hot peppers taste. Anything I might be missing?


Fresh Giardiniera in the style of Pop's, Chickie's etc made at home

I like Pop's style too. When they get some peppers with a kick, that stuff can put a bead of sweat on your brow. It's usually tame, but once in a while you will get a sizzler. Nice and crunchy/fresh too.
Maybe a tiny, tiny, touch of vinegar for a tiny tang - not a lot at all tho.