Name: Hot Giardiniera
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 1 Quart
Ingredients: 2 cups water; ¼ cup kosher salt; 1 cup peeled carrots, cut into ¼-inch cubes; 1 cup cauliflower, cut into pieces; 1 large celery stalk, leaves removed, cut into ¼-inch cubes; 1 red pepper, seeds removed, cut into ¼-inch pieces; ½ cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives; 2 to 4 serrano chilies, seeds removed, chopped; ¾ cup canola oil; ¾ cup distilled white vinegar (5% acidity); 2 garlic cloves, minced; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

Day One

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups water with the salt. Stir until dissolved. Add the diced carrots, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, olives, and serranos. Mix to combine. Cover with plastic food wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day Two

Using a large colander, drain and rinse the vegetables. Discard the salted water.
In a clean bowl, combine the oil and vinegar with the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Add the rinsed vegetables and mix to combine. Cover with plastic food wrap and refrigerate for 3 days to marinate.

Day Five

After 3 days marinating in the bowl in the refrigerator, transfer the vegetables to a clean quart jar. Pour as much of the seasoned oil/vinegar mixture in as you need to cover the vegetables. The mixture will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks.
Note: I don’t recommend processing giardiniera through a traditional canning method. One of the things I love about giardiniera is the crunch. Canning causes the giardiniera to lose that delicious crunchy bite.

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