Giardiniera (Italian for pickled vegetables from the garden) are a delightful treat to serve alongside sandwiches or as part of an appetizer plate with salami, cheese and crackers. You will find it difficult to stop once you take a bite of these gorgeously colored, crispy vegetables. The sous vide method ensures the vegetables retain their crisp texture.
It all started with our homegrown poblano and anaheim peppers. I used some of the peppers for chile verde but we still had quite a few growing on the plants so the idea of pickling them came to mind.
You’ll find that cauliflower, carrots, peppers (hot or mild), celery and onions are most commonly used in giardiniera. However, you can also use green beans, fennel, olives, or any other type of vegetable that will hold its shape well.
The seasoning for the brine is quite simple. Fresh garlic, bay leaf, whole coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, calcium chloride (for keeping pickles crisp), and black peppercorns.
The seasonings are divided equally into 4 pint canning jars.
The jars are packed with the vegetable assortment before the brine is added. They are so colorful!
Hot brine is added to the jars before the sous vide process begins.
The giardiniera is canned via the sous vide pasteurization process for 30 minutes at 190F.
The finished product turned out to be one of our new favorite snacks. The assortment of vibrant colors and various shapes of the vegetables makes a beautiful jar of homemade pickles.
Sous Vide Giardiniera
4
servingsSpecial Equipment: Sous Vide Precision Cooker (we use Joule), 4 1-Pint Canning Jars, Canning Pot
Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- Vegetables
1 head cauliflower (about 1 3/4 pounds, 1 pound trimmed) cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large carrot (6 ounces), thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 red onion (10 ounces), peeled and cut into thick wedges
10 ounces poblano or anaheim peppers red and green preferred, cut into short strips (substitute with bell peppers for very mild flavor or jalapeño peppers for spicy version or a combination)
- Seasonings per jar
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/4 piece bay leaf (from one whole bay leaf)
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (optional depending on pepper heat)
1/8 teaspoon calcium chloride (optional but recommended for crispness)
1 medium garlic clove, thinly sliced
- Brine
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 1/2 filtered water
2 tablespoons pickling salt (substitute kosher salt 2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons, do not use salt that has additives)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
dash of turmeric
Directions
- Cut vegetables as described above, set aside.
- Wash and dry 4 pint sized canning jars. Place seasonings in each jar. Begin adding vegetables into each jar, pressing down firmly leaving 3/4-inch headspace. Set aside.
- Fill canning pot with hot water to cover jars by at least 1-inch. Place pot on stove and heat to about 190F, checking with a digital thermometer. This is optional but gives you a head start to heating up the large pot of water. Once up to temperature turn off stove burner. Connect sous vide device to the pot and set temperature to 190F.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine brine ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until salt and sugar has dissolved. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables, leaving 1/2-inch headspace from the rim of the jar. Add lids and screw on rings until finger tight. Do not over tighten. Place jars in canner and set timer for 30 minutes when water temperature is 190F.
- Once 30 minutes has passed, turn off sous vide device and let jars sit in the water for 5 more minutes. Remove jars to a cooling rack and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
- Remove rings, check seals (unsealed jars should be refrigerated). Jars can be stored in your pantry for 1 year.
