Making giardiniera

Anyone that's ever had an Italian beef sandwich in the Chicago area has probably tasted giardiniera. I've tried for years to duplicate the condiment and finally had some success. First gather up a head of cauliflower, 2 stalks of celery, two medium carrots, and 10 serrano chilies. Dice everything up and put into a non reactive bowl. Add 1/2 cup of kosher salt and mix it through



Then add enough cold water to just cover the veggies. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.



Now put the veggies in a colander and rinse thoroughly.



Return the veggies to a clean bowl and add 6 oz of green olives that have been halved, 6 cloves of minced garlic, 1 TBS of dried oregano, and 1 tsp of celery seeds and mix well. Fill jars with the veggie mixture then add enough white vinegar to come up to halfway on the veggies. Fill the rest of the jar with canola oil(don't use olive oil) until the veggies are just covered. Cap the jar and give it a shake to mix the liquids. Refrigerate and try to wait 48 hour before using to let the flavors meld, I couldn't wait.



This stuff is fantastic with beef, great on pizzas and pastas, or on a salmon and giardiniera sandwich. -RP