Chicago-Style Giardiniera

Ingredients

• 200 g cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 6 serrano peppers, sliced into thin rings
• 6 sport peppers or jalapeños, sliced into thin rings
• 2 celery sticks, cut into 5 mm dice
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 5 mm dice
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1 cm dice
• 100 g pimento-stuffed green olives, roughly chopped
• 120 g coarse sea salt
• 1 litre cold water
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 240 ml white wine vinegar
• 350 ml olive oil

Before you cook

• Chop the cauliflower, celery, carrot and red pepper to a rough 5 mm to 1 cm dice so a forkful catches a bit of everything.
• Put on gloves before slicing the serranos and sport peppers into thin rings.
• Dissolve the coarse salt in the litre of cold water in a large non-reactive bowl.
• Add all the chopped vegetables to the brine and press them under with a plate.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Steps

1. Tip the brined vegetables into a colander and let all the salty water run away.
2. Rinse them under cold running water for a full minute to wash off the surface salt.
3. Shake the colander, then spread the vegetables on a clean tea towel to dry for 15 minutes.
4. Stir the garlic, oregano, celery seed, chilli flakes and black pepper together in a large bowl.
5. Pour in the vinegar and whisk to loosen the spices.
6. Whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture turns cloudy.
7. Fold the drained vegetables and the chopped olives through the oil.
8. Toss until every piece is slicked and the spices are spread evenly.
9. Pack the giardiniera into clean jars, pressing down so the oil rises and covers everything.
10. Top up with a little more olive oil if any vegetables poke above the surface.
11. Seal the jars and refrigerate for at least 2 days before eating, though a full week is better.
12. Stand the jar at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving so the olive oil turns liquid again.