Welcome to my Food Journey

Curious Southern Cook on a journey to learn...and to create exceptional dining experiences. I love entertaining and preparing food for loved ones & friends and sharing those experiences with others. My wish is that you will be fed too. Bon Appetite!







Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Summer Giardiniera



 

Summer Giardiniera
"You can savor the goodness of summer's bounty all year long."
 
-cgj
 
In making this recipe, most of your time is spent in prepping the vegetables.
I actually started washing, slicing and chopping the evening before on a weeknight and completed the canning the next evening.  Just refrigerate after prepping until ready to can.  It just takes a little planning and a couple of free evenings or a weekend day to have the goodness of summertime all year.  Last Friday, we had a few friends over to start celebrating the holiday weekend.  I opened the first jar of Summer Giardiniera and used it to make a crostini appetizer, yum!  Use your imagination, the possibilities are endless. 
 

Veggies prepped and ready to mix 



Tip: Use a large roasting pan to mix
veggies in so that they are evenly distributed
before packing into the jars


 
Sterilized jars with garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns
and oregano ready to be packed with veggies



 
Unless you have multiple canning vessels,
you will need to process in batches
 
 
 
 
Let the Giardiniera sit for at least a couple of weeks
so that the flavor can develop 
 
 
 
Recipe:
 
1 cauliflower, cut into small florets
5 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped medium
9 carrots, peeled...make sticks then chop medium
1 bundle asparagus, separate woody stem from tender part, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound frozen pearl onions
3 banana peppers, seeded then chopped medium
2 yellow onions, chopped medium
3 cups green olives, rough chop
garlic - 4 cloves per jar 
bay leaves - 1 per jar
peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon per jar
2 sprigs oregano per jar
16 teaspoons kosher salt
8 cups vinegar
8 cups water
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon per jar
 
Sterilize 12 pint jars and lids
Wash and prepare vegetables as instucted above
Place bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic and oregano in jars
Pack vegetables in jars to within 1 inch of rim
Heat together vinegar, water and kosher salt just til boiling
Pour vinegar solution over vegetables to within 1/2 inch of rim
Add olive oil to each jar
Wipe off rims, screw on lids
Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes
 
Let the jars rest undisturbed for 2 weeks for the flavor to develop.  Refrigerate unused portions of opened jars for up to 1 week.  Store jars in a cool dark place and consume within a year.
 
 
For more information about food safety and canning, please refer to the link below:
 
Tips:
1) Try your Summer Giardiniera on Crostini with provolone cheese and salami
2) ...on your favorite sandwich
3) ...or salad
4) If you need more vinegar solution the base recipe is 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
 
Enjoy
 
~