Recipe: Giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables)

Whenever I’m at an Italian place that offers an antipasto buffet or salad bar, I look for the giardiniera. It’s that spicy pickled vegetable concoction that usually includes carrots, cauliflower, and green beans, and always has some kind of pepper. I recently finished off a big jar of jalapeños, and thought I’d try to make some giardiniera in the refrigerator. It worked great, and here’s the recipe!

Giardiniera

Makes 2 quarts. Prep time 20 minutes. Total time 2 weeks.

• Jalapeño juice (a half-gallon jar of sliced jalapeños should yield about 1 quart of liquid)
• 12 oz frozen cut green beans
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets and washed
• 2 carrots, washed, peeled, and sliced thin
• 1 bell pepper, washed, cored, and diced
• White balsamic vinegar to top off (white balsamic is mild and sweet-tart; Trader Joe’s has a good one)

1. Place all vegetables in the jar of jalapeño juice – pack them in firmly. Top off with vinegar if necessary.
2. Place in refrigerator.
3. Shake vigorously once a day, for 2 weeks.
4. Open and enjoy as a snack or antipasto.

This version is medium-spicy. You can punch it up by adding pepperoncini or cherry peppers. Or you can make it more mild by removing some of the jalapeno juice and adding extra vinegar and a quarter-cup of sugar.