Saturday, December 24, 2022

Homemade pickled giardiniera



The homemade pickled giardiniera is a classic in the kitchens of all families in Italy and abroad: grandchildren, sons and husbands are hired to cut carrots and clean cauliflower. The fires are lit and pots full of jars are boiled, until you hear the magical "clok". And in winter, when you put it on the table, the homemade pickled giardiniera brings with it all the magical warmth of the family. I want to dedicate this post to a special person who is no longer there: from up there she will turn up her nose, perhaps, in front of "my" version of the gardener, her so special giardiniera contained the magic ingredient, the love of her immense heart, but in the end she will smile as only she could do.

The homemade giardiniera is really a goodness! Honestly I always thought it was a bit laborious to prepare at home and so I always bought it. When I tried my hand at making it at home, a world opened up to me! But it's something else entirely, believe me! 

Ingredients (for about a dozen 250 ml jars)

mixed seasonal vegetables, for a total of 2.6 kg (for each vegetable put the same amount)
1 and a half liters of white vinegar
1 liter and a half of water
4 black peppercorns
4 juniper berries
3 bay leaves
30 g salt
30 g sugar

What we need

1 cutting board
1 knife
1 potato peeler
large terrines (at least two)
1 pot with very large cover
1 very large glass or ceramic bowl
1 colander
oven tray

The homemade pickled giardiniera is an easy recipe in itself, but I do not hide that it is quite laborious, so... Roll up your sleeves. The longest part is the preparation of vegetables: wash and dry each vegetable well, then cut it according to your tastes. 

Preparation

Fennel: cut into strips in the direction of width. Cucumbers: I left the peel and cut them into thick slices maximum half a centimeter
red and yellow peppers: cleaned and cut into strips. Carrots: peeled and cut into rectangular pieces of about a couple of cm spring onions: cut into 6 parts lengthwise. White celery: cut into slices lengthwise.
Cauliflower: I kept only the florets, dividing them so that they were not too large. After cleaning, separate each vegetable well into separate bowls; If you do not want to dirty too many dishes, remember that the important thing is to make 2 groups of vegetables, on one side carrots and cauliflower, on the other all the others. Take the pot and pour water and vinegar; add the spices, salt and sugar, put on the heat and let it boil; At this point pour carrots and cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes on the clock. After this time, add all the other vegetables and cook for exactly 4 minutes. At this point, turn off the gas and drain the vegetables, making sure to collect all the liquid in which they were cooked and putting it aside (I used a slotted spoon to collect them and a colander placed on top of a large glass bowl); Place the vegetables on the oven tray well cleaned and let them cool. Then fill the jars well cleaned and sterilized, add the cooking liquid that you had set aside and let it reach about 1 finger from the edge of the jar; Then cap the jars well with new caps and boil them.

Advise
Some important hygiene rules: The jars used for storage must be made of glass with an airtight cap. Jars must be clean and dry. Jars should be stored in dry places. 
How do you check that the sterilization has been successful? 
The cap will be well adherent to the jar and will have a kind of depression in the center; Moreover, when you open the jars, you will notice a great resistance and a particular noise (a sort of pop) when you open them. If these characteristics are not present, avoid consuming the contents of the jar.

 

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