CANNING: How to Make Chicago-Style Giardiniera
This giardiniera canning recipe makes a big batch of the pickled pepper and vegetable condiment that is a beloved staple of Chicagoans. Maybe you already know and love this ingredient, or maybe you just watched The Bear and want to know what the heck all the fuss is about? Heard, chefs.
Or maybe, like me when I lived in California, you’re a displaced Chicagoan homesick for the taste of this classic condiment that we like to put on just about everything, looking for a giardiniera canning recipe to recreate that Taste of Chicago (you probably don’t go there, that’s for tourists, but we love you too, visitors).
No need to 86’s this from your menu even if you live where you can’t walk into any grocery store and choose from six or eight different kinds on the shelf. You can make your own wherever you are!
How do you use giardiniera?
Enjoy generous scoops of this on an Italian beef sandwich or sausage. I put it on pizza, in pasta and potato salads, on scrambled eggs or bowls of cottage cheese with cracked black pepper, and of course on sandwiches (and always on a pepper and egg sandwich along with sauteed sweet peppers). Blend it with three cheeses and make a spicy pizza spread for bagels or crackers.
Or sometimes, I just eat it with a spoon out of the jar. We won’t judge… just use a clean spoon and no double dipping, ok?
This one is medium-hot. You can vary the proportion of sweet and hot peppers to make it mild to extremely spicy, just as you like!
How to Can or Store your Giardiniera
This should yield about 12 pints (you can also use half-pints but don’t can in quarts or larger jars… it’s ok to use larger jars if you’re storing this in the fridge instead of water-bath canning it, but smaller jars will get used up faster after opening and can reduce the chance of spoilage).
If you are canning this, follow the recipe proportions and directions exactly for vinegar and spices for food safety, but also note that this is not a USDA-tested recipe… do not decrease processing times, make sure the pickle is hot when you pack the jars, and can at your own risk! You can pressure can this instead if you prefer, though the texture of the finished product may be softer and less desirable.
You can also store the giardiniera as a fresh refrigerator pickle, without canning, in boiled/sterilized jars for a short period of time. This will give you the crunchiest pickle, but a shorter shelf-life, so you may want to make a smaller batch unless you have a large family, a small restaurant, or are giving these as fresh gifts… or if you eat a LOT of giardiniera. You can also reduce the recipe, but do it proportionally and reduce every ingredient by the same factor!Â
Chicago-Style Hot Giardiniera
Equipment
- 1 Water Bath canner or large stockpot tall enough to cover the pint jars with at least an inch of water and room to boil
- 12-24 canning jars and new lids (pint or half-pint) I use reusable Tattler lids for most of my canning but use metal if you will be giving these as gifts
- canning funnel
- jar lifter or non-slip tongs
- a jar rack that fits in your stockpot or canner is also helpful
Ingredients
- 4-8 oz serrano peppers, sliced with seeds you can vary the amount and proportion of serrano and jalapeno peppers within these ranges
- 2-6 oz jalapeno peppers, sliced with seeds
- 4-5 large bell peppers, seeded and diced I used a mix of colors- red, green, yellow, and orange
- 1 lb celery hearts, sliced on bias or diced
- 1 lb carrots, diced or small baton cut
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped in small florets
- 1 jumbo yellow onion, large dice
- 1 cup kosher salt (you can use canning salt but reduce volume by half)
- 1 12 oz jar green olives with pimento whole or sliced, reserve/add brine
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
- 2 tsp fresh cracked coarse black pepper
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup reserved brine from olives top up with lemon juice or vinegar if not a full cup
- 3 cups red or white wine vinegar 5% acidity
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar 5% acidity (check the label, some discount stores are selling 4% and they're not interchangeable)
- 2 cups olive oil or a blend of olive oil and light neutral oil
- Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride granules) optional but adds quality. 1/8 tsp per pint jar.
Instructions
- Wash and chop the peppers, onion, celery, carrots, and cauliflower and combine in a large stainless or plastic bowl or food-safe 2-3 gallon bucket.
- Add the salt and mix well to distribute. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. The salt will draw moisture out of the veggies and is essential for crispness and safety (so the pickling brine is not diluted).
- Drain and lightly rinse the excess salt off the veggies. Taste- they should be very salty (more like a caper than a dill pickle) but not unpalatable. Remember that the acid in the brine will balance the salt.
- Return the drained and rinsed veggies to the bowl and add the olives, garlic, and seasonings. Mix well to combine.
- Prepare your canner and jars. Fill canner or stockpot with water and bring to a boil, and clean and sanitize your jars (wash well with hot soapy water, rinse, and boil. It is not absolutely necessary to boil the jars but it can't hurt!). Put your lids in a pot or heat resistant bowl and pour boiling water over to sanitize and soften the seals, and check over your lid rings to make sure they are sound (dents in the rings can cause seal failure).
- In another large pot, heat the vinegar, olive brine, and lemon juice. Bring to a low simmer and add the oil, then the veggie mix. Stir and bring almost to a simmer. When the mixture is hot, it's ready to jar.
- Using tongs, carefully remove the canning jars from the water bath and place them on a sheet pan or countertop lined with a kitchen towel. Using a slotted spoon and canning funnel if possible, evenly distribute the vegetable mixture among the jars, leaving an inch of head space at the top of the jars.
- Divide the liquid evenly between the jars, and use a small spatula or the handle of a wooden spoon to press down and remove any trapped air bubbles from the jars. If needed, top up with more vinegar (you can mix vinegar and hot water 1:1) to cover the vegetables with brine.
- If you are using Pickle Crisp, add an 1/8 tsp to each pint jar now (or half that for smaller jars). Using a clean washcloth or paper towel, wipe the rim of the jar with distilled vinegar or vinegar and hot water to remove any oil or residue that would interfere with the jar seal.
- Put the lids and rings on, screw down, and put in canner. Process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes (start the timer once all jars are in the canner and the water returns to a rolling boil). If you need to do them in batches, keep the other jars warm while the first batch is processing.
- Remove jars from the canner using canning tongs and place on a kitchen towel to cool. Once jars have cooled, check seals and refrigerate any unsealed jars to use within a few weeks. Wash and label jars and store without rings in a cool, dark pantry.
