Reading an article about the “farm to jar” pickles and jams made by Tampa Bay entrepreneur Illene Sofranko reminded me that I had squirreled away several jars of her delicious Urban Canning pickled okra and Brussels sprouts in my pantry. And also reminded me it’s time to make the Italian-style pickled vegetables known as giardiniera.
The tradition of putting up pickles goes back to pre-refrigeration days, when preserving seasonal produce was the goal. We don’t really need to do that now, any more than we need to kill and cure a pig every fall. I asked my 83-year-old aunt, our source of family history, whether our Oklahoma farmer forebears did this stuff?
Affirmative on killing a pig–my grandfather did that every year and my grandmother canned sausage made from it. Among the vegetables she canned, as Aunt Pattie remembers it, were cucumber pickles–the dill and bread-and-butter varieties.
My ancestors were from countries like Ireland and Germany. Italians know how to pickle cucumbers, too, but their vegetable mixtures are better known. My version of giardiniera (“from the garden”) consists of cauliflower, bell peppers, fennel and carrots. No fussing with cans steaming in a pressure cooker, like my grandma–I make just enough to fill a large jar for the fridge.
My vegetables are lightly pickled. When the vinegar brine is mixed with generous amounts of water, you can use less sugar for balance, resulting in a gently tangy taste I find more enjoyable than a mouth-puckering pickle.
What to serve pickled vegetables with? Something savory, in my opinion. In Emilia-Romagna bowls of giardiniera are sometimes served alongside platters of prosciutto and other locally cured salumi. Pickled vegetables, purchased or made at home, also make a refreshing side to a burger, pulled pork sandwich or grilled chicken.
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 1 large red yellow or green bell pepper, trimmed and seeded
- 2 medium carrots peeled
- 1 small fennel bulb
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 dried hot red pepper
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Cut the cauliflower florets and stems in small pieces (about 4 cups). Cut pepper in square pieces about the same size. Angle cut the carrots in thin slices. Cut the fennel in thin wedges. Halve the garlic cloves.
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Combine the vinegar with 4 cups water, the sugar, olive oil, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves and hot pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; simmer for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables, making sure they are covered; when the liquid returns to a boil, adjust the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the vegetables until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Remove from the heat and cool in the saucepan. Transfer vegetables and liquid to a jar or other container; refrigerate. Strain before serving.
