Giardiniera: Your Hot Dog’s Best Friend

Giardiniera (jar-din-air-uh) - an Italian word meaning mixed pickled vegetables, or literally, female gardener. Like most pickled products, this was a way to preserve vegetables for the winter. Giardiniera was brought to the US, specifically Chicago, by Italian immigrants in the 1920s. The pickled vegetables traditionally eaten with antipasto were tweaked into a hot condiment that has become a Chicago stable.

Think of giardiniera as an upgrade to the neon green relish and sport pepper on that classic Chicago dog. It adds acidity, spice, and crunch. And bonus! Adding vegetables to your meat tube has never been so delicious.

There are basically two methods to make giardiniera. One is to just pickle the vegetables in vinegar (the Italian way), and the other is a two step process: pickle the vegetables, drain off the vinegar, and top with olive oil (the Chicago way). This recipe is a mix of both. We pickle the vegetables, keep them in the marinade, and add olive oil to finish.

Pickling Liquid

What You Need:

4 ea garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp mustard seed

1 ea bay leaf

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 tbsp kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup champagne vinegar

What to Do:

Heat canola oil in a sauce pot and saute minced garlic until light golden. Add the herbs and spices and heat until fragrant.

Take off the heat and whisk in the salt and sugar until dissolved. Add the vinegar and let cool. Set aside. 

The Vegetables

You can make giardiniera with any vegetables (within reason) so feel free to use this part of the recipe as a guideline and method versus following it to a T.

What You Need:

½ cup canola oil

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 cups carrot, thinly sliced on the bias

2 cups fennel, cut into thin strips

1 cup diced onion

1 cup olive oil

What You Do:

For the vegetables, saute the onions in canola oil for five minutes or until the onions just turn translucent. Remove from the pan and place in a large bowl.

Allow the pan to reheat and add a little more oil. Add the fennel and saute for about two to four minutes or until just a little tender, remove, and add it to the onions.

Repeat the process of heating the pan, adding a little oil, and then saute the cauliflower for about two to four minutes, or again, until just a little tender. Remove from the pan.

Allow the vegetables to cool, then add the marinade and olive oil. Keep refrigerated, but it will last for about two weeks, as long as the vegetables are submerged in the liquid.

Now that you made it, what should you do with it?

Giardiniera is a perfect condiment to always have on hand - what we call a “pantry” staple. The pickles are great with antipasto, a dinner party spread of set hor d’oeurves, or with tinned fish and crackers. Use it straight-up on sandwiches, like Chicago’s Italian beef, cold Italian hoagies, hot dogs, or an upgrade to a bologna sandwich. Or mince it and mix with mayonnaise for a sandwich condiment. Top pizzas, toss in salads, or eat it on bread with whipped ricotta. Basically, add it to anything that you want a little crunch and bite of acidity.