Giardiniera

Hi Everyone:
I was eating out at the Korean BBQ last saturday and saw your group, you were all so frifndly, it seemed like a great crowd. I was so intrigued I came home to check this site out, and what a gold mine this is.

I hope it is ok to start out here with a question, rather then a helpful reply, but...I have been searching for a recipee for Giardiniera to no avail. I did a search here and didn't find anything posted as of yet.

Does anyone know of a recipess for this?

I am so glad I found this site

Holly

HollyB wrote:I have been searching for a recipee for Giardiniera to no avail.

Holly,

Much as I love the stuff, I probably have 4-5 types on hand, I've never attempted to make my own. Hopefully someone will pitch in with a tried and true recipe, but, if not, a Google search using giardiniera recipe or giardiniera chicago recipe will prove fruitful.

Here's one to get you started, the author says it's Al's on Taylor Street's recipe. I doubt it, but looks good anyway.
Giardiniera

Welcome to LTHForum.

Enjoy,
Gary

Since giardiniera has such a high proportion of peppers, which are very base (ph wise) if you are planning to can your giardiniera you will need to be careful. The resident expert on canning is Cathy2.

Hi Holly,

That's cool you were inspired to join us after witnessing LTHForum in action! Just out of curiosity, how did you surmise what we were?

Are you planning to can/preserve the gardinera or will you be making small batches to use within a few weeks from the refrigerator? If you do plan on the long haul preservation, then I will offer advice on how I would preserve the gardinera. As Annieb correctly stated, you have to be careful how those pickled peppers are preserved.

Regards,

do they use vinegar in the gardinera one buys in jars in stores?

leek wrote:do they use vinegar in the gardinera one buys in jars in stores?

Not so's you'd notice. It's an oil-packed condiment, or for some of us, a major source of vegetables.

I once uncovered an old jar that had gotten neglected in the back of the fridge that had grown fuzz, so it's not that hostile an environment, meaning it isn't very acidic, salty or hygroscopic.

But alkaline? I didn't know that about peppers. Jalapenos certainly seem to have a fruity acidity.

I eat plenty of jarred giardiniera (say that 10 times fast!) and my current favorite is from Freddy's in Cicero. The heat level is decent and there's good flavor from a seriously heavy pepper presence (as opposed to too much celery or carrot). The other day I had a snack of a bowl of crumbled feta and Freddy's giardiniera with some bread. Simple and excellent.

I've been going through so many different brands of hot giardiniera over the past couple years and I realized that I have little memory of the brands I tasted a while ago. So, I'm considering doing a blind taste test of different jarred brands (hot only).

What are people's favorite brands? Anyone interested in participating in a blind taste test?

Best,
Michael / EC

i use caputo's house brand. i find the veggies to be fresh in it and still have a little crunch.

eatchicago wrote:
What are people's favorite brands? Anyone interested in participating in a blind taste test?

I've always been partial to the Bari Foods stuff. The Hot packs a decent punch, but for a really good blast of heat, their Extra Hot variety can't be beat.

We're veering off the topic with talk of jarred stuff, but I've seen a brand at Whole Paycheck and Valli Produce that is a finely chopped giardinera, which while not giving the same textural benefits, is much better for staying inside sandwiches.

Critical factor for judging quality with me: quantity of olives. My father got me started on that, he'd buy a jar of giardinera and one of olives, mix them together then stuff them back into the jars.

Sorry about the digression.

I am also a big fan of olives in giardiniera. I had never thought of stuffing some extras in there.

As for the textural issue, I do sometimes enjoy the tapenade-style giardiniera, especially on a sandwich with flat bread, as opposed to a roll. As you said, it stays together much better. But when it comes to Italian beef or subs, give me a full-textured, chunky giardiniera.

Best,
Michael / EC

I've overloaded giardiniera with olives to get the 'olive salad' (still slightly chunky, not tapenaded) for muffalettas - essentially a flat bread sandwich. Been a while and I haven't sampled too many giardinieras. Tatste test sounds like an interesting idea.

Cheers!

I am a newbie as this site so I am answering questions without the qoute.
In answer to how I found out who you were at the restaurant, we have been eating at the Korean BBQ for years and non-Koreans are a rare sighting there, so a room full of Non-Koreans really got my attention and I asked a woman with a name tag on just who this adventurous group was. Voila, here I am.


Now, I totally agree of it being a major source of vegies, but I think it should go further and be it's own food group!
I love the idea of added olives, and will do that with my next store bought bottle and I plan on eating it over feta with bread soon, YUMMM!

I always look for a good jar of giardiniera, and have yet to find the "best" for me. Like others, I always add olives to my jars (and celery, too!). I've been disappointed with the product sold under the Bari label - the contents seem so soft. Lately, I've been sticking to the Scala product. About giardiniera added to sandwiches/food at restaurants - I don't like what I'm seeing. Many places have been substituting the small peppers that make giardiniera so unique with jalipeno peppers, and that substitution completely changes/ruins the condiment for me.

Bill wrote:Many places have been substituting the small peppers that make giardiniera so unique with jalipeno peppers, and that substitution completely changes/ruins the condiment for me.

Ugh, I agree completely. Any dog stand that gives me sport peppers, pepperoncini or *horrors* nacho rings on an Italian beef or sausage never EVER gets visited again.

I totally agree about the jalapenos, YUCK

Instead of adding olives to giardiniera, I'd go the other way.

Start with, for example, Central Grocery's olive salad (they ship), and add some blanched bits of this and that, to your taste.

Geo

In an effort to put heaven in can - I am in search of the proper, healthy technique of canning Giardiniera peppers.

I used the recipe below, which turned out perfect! Now that I have a vat of peppers, how do I preserve them. How long will they keep in the refrigerator. How long will they keep once canned. Any help would be appreciated.

Hot Italian Giardiniera

INGREDIENTS
1 red bell peppers, diced
8 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
12 fresh seranno peppers, sliced
3 celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 head fresh cauliflower florets, chopped small
1 cup salt
water to cover

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5 ounce) jar pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Place into a bowl the green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Stir in salt, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Place plastic wrap over the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain salty water, and rinse vegetables. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil, and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days before using.
Makes approx 3 qts

I've been making this stuff for a good four years now, and will never ever buy it canned in a jar again. There is no point to the storebought stuff. Yours is my general recipe, although I use:
No bell pepper,
Less celery
I spend a little on good quality black olives,
I use the pre-jarred chopped garlic in water
And cover it all with evoo instead of reg olive oil.

--One more thing. I soak ALL ingredients except for vinegar, evoo, and powdered spices in the salt water overnight.

As far as how long it keeps? I just had some from the batch I made in September of 2006. Had a little left in a jar in the back of the fridge. No issues. Good as ever. Mine isn't really canned (cooked) so to speak, either. Just kept in the fridge. I'm sure it could be canned canned, but then you lose the freshness of it. Vinegar and salt are pretty good preserving agents. From what I've been told, the garlic is the scariest of the ingredients from a botulism perspective which is why I use the stuff that's already been factory jarred. How long will it keep in the fridge? I can vouch for a little over a year with using pre-jarred garlic, and paying special attention with the jars and lids before jarring. I make sure they are washed thoroughly in very hot water, and then have them soaking in very hot water up to the point I grab them to fill. Other than that, I just keep it in the fridge. One more thing, the first recipe I looked at claimed you shouldn't even think about eating it until a month after you fridge it to give the flavors a chance to permeate the oil. After several flavor trials at different stages of the aging process, I wholeheartedly concur. Let it sit more than two days. The flavor profile between two days and two weeks is a complete 180.

Timely post. My csa grower just asked if I would be willing to make a super vat that he could offer to his customers next year. I knew a few of his customers and offered them some jars last summer. To say it was a hit would be a pretty big understatement. I actually forked over a few 1/2 pint jars to a few of the same people at an Xmas party a few weeks ago, and they gushed thank yous all night long. Several have claimed they would throw me 10 bux a jar for pint jars. I think I have to go to some foodservice class deal before I can legit sell it tho

I would not be suprised if others will scientifically bash what I've just said, but I haven't run into any issues yet. I would not be scared to be eating mine from Aug 2007 up until I was making the new stuff in Aug of 2008.

Hi,

When I consider recipes to preserve, I begin by comparing them to recipes already qualified as safe to can. In this case, I looked at a recipe for mixed pickled vegetables. The ratio of vinegar to quantity of vegetables seems higher than your recipe. Also there is no oil present, which means these are not comparable situations.

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.

The use of commercially processed garlic in oil is not of great benefit if you are handling the product properly. The conditions that caused this problem was chopped garlic in oil stored by a restaurant kitchen stove for an extended period of time. Oil sealed the garlic in an anaroebic (without air) state at temperatures between 40 and 120 degrees is a breeding ground for Clostridium botulinum within 3-4 days. A product infected with Clostridium botulinum does not show any telltale signs of spoilage. To avoid these problems with meat or vegetables, you either refrigerate, pickle (acid suppresses Clostridium botulinum) or pressure can to 240 degrees killing Clostridium botulinum spores. Fruits can be water bath canned because their natural acidity suppresses Clostridium botulinum.

Back to your gardinera, I would pack them into freshly washed jars rinsed with boiling water. I would keep the jars upside down on a clean towel until they were filled. I would then store them in the rear of the refrigerator. This is simple and reliably safe. While the shelf life is normally suggested at some weeks. In practice it may be much longer. Especially when you consider how old some condiments are in my refrigerator presently.

You could potentially experiment by canning the pickled vegetables in the vinegar solution ratio parallel to the recipe I linked to. When you want to use the gardinera, then empty some of the vinegar solution and add olive oil. Store in your refrigerator when not being consumed. You then have shelf stable vegetables without cluttering your refrigerator. Please note there will be less crunch to your vegetables, because the canning process does soften them.

Do let us know the outcome because we learn from each other's experiences.

Regards,

Tnx for that C2!

Food storage is soooo tricky, and every step we can take to do it cleanly and hygienically is a plus.

I suspect that if the salt and vinegar ratios are adjusted properly, and the jars are kept--as you suggest--hygienic prior to filling, refrigeration will keep the ultimate product safe.

Geo

All,

I've made a small batch roughly using the above recipe. I did go with all serranos and left out the bell peppers. So far, I'm really pleased with the appearance.



I'll give it a couple weeks and let everyone know how it turns out.

I'll warm up a baguette, and bring it over, just let me know when.

I don't know much about giardiniera, but I've been given a couple of jars of it. How do you folks like to eat it? On a baguette is one answer, apparently. Can you give me other suggestions?

How do I love thee, let me count the ways:
split baguette, giardiniera + parm & mozz/ provolone. Broil

Drizzle on bread first, let it soak in a bit, and then prepare your garlic bread as normal minus a little bit of the butter.

Scrambled eggs.

Throw it in a pan with a little extra oil, let it sizzle for a few seconds, toss in some wine, squeeze of lemon, toss in some cooked pasta, parmesan.

Toss some in with a pasta primavera.

Buy your beef sammich, and throw your own, better giardiniera on it.
Ditto for any cold sammich.

Throw it on any grilled meat.
A schmear of it after it's been finely chopped in braciole before rolling.
Same deal with a pounded out chicken breast (kinda like an italian roulade, if you will) chicken / spinach, provolone, giardiniera, rolled. YUM!

Drizzle it in a layer of lasagne.

Drizzle on a "greek" seasoned broiled chicken about halfway through.

My uses are basically any application where olive oil, basil, garlic, and heat can be used. When sauteeing with it, however, just be sure to add to the pan at the right time to avoid over cooking the garlic if yours contains garlic. The list continues:

An unexpected delight in:
Tacos
Quesdillas
Enchiladas
Chili
on top of burgers.
I actually had a gyros with giardiniera on it last Friday from the Dog Walk in Prospect Heights...I didn't complain one bit about it, and it might be standard issue for me now.

Um, yeah. I like a good giardiniera.

seebee wrote:I actually had a gyros with giardiniera on it last Friday from the Dog Walk in Prospect Heights...I didn't complain one bit about it, and it might be standard issue for me now.

Seebee,

Now that's a new one on me, sounds like a winner though.

I am a general use giardiniera fan, every thing from crusty bread and butter to hot dogs and all points between and beyond. In fact I practically made a meal of giardiniera and bread at Tufano's a few weeks ago. I like the warm crusty bread, but when one adds a good size jolt of giardiniera...let's just say with just a few people at the table I've been known to ask for multiple giardiniera jar refills.

Tufano's was surprisingly off that night, Lemon Chicken, one of my favorite dishes in Chicago, was dry and a bit dull and the rest of the meal was lifeless. Almost as if the kitchen was grumpy.

Enjoy,
Gary

Tufano's
1073 W Vernon Park Pl
Chicago, IL 60607
312-733-3393

BrendanR wrote:I've made a small batch roughly using the above recipe.

Wow, that looks terrific! Can't wait to hear how it tastes.

Whenever I get carryout gyros to eat at home, these days, I add giardiniera at home. It's a good combination, the tzatziki cools the peppers and it adds a nice crunch (especially if you don't like raw onions and so don't order those on the gyro).

A good number of places will let you get it as a pizza topping, too. Spread over the sauce, under the cheese. Not bad.

I like it with marinara sauced pasta, on burgers, subs & paninis. Actually, most any sandwich I make is giard enhanced.

Distribute giard across your otherwise lousy '5 for $10' frozen pizza prior to baking to make it something between palatable and appetizing. Spoon it on your favorite takeout pizza.

I like it on my deli potato salad.

Sausages on rolls get the giard treatment. Brats, polish, hot dogs, italian..they all get slathered.

Sorry, again off topic but I can't help it:

seebee wrote:How do I love thee, let me count the ways:

• giardiniera relish on a grilled cheese. Dip that in your creamy tomato!;
• ditto on the pizza topping;
• ditto on the quesadillas--I drizzle a little when I make them at home;
• drizzle a little on our pulled pork sandwich;
• hell, any sandwich, for that matter;
• using it as a salsa with some tortilla chips;
• dipping and double dipping your samosa in your own personal bowl of giardiniera;
• topping some on nachos instead of jalapenos;
• a little--just a hint--of giardiniera relish in a homemade tartar sauce;
  
  I'm sure I'm going to think of more...