Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Vegetables: Giardiniera

There she goes again with her pickling nonsense.

I love pickles! I love vinegar! I love pickling anything and everything (as you know by now).

I am also great at tongue twisters, FYI (so is my mom).

She Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore and The City Sheriff Wore City Shoes, being my specialty.

One Smart Fellow, He Felt Smart. Two Smart Fellows, They Felt Smart. Three Smart Fellows, They All Felt Smart.
Say that 10 times.

Here I made giardiniera, that Italian pickled vegetable medley, great to serve with cheese and salumi.
I threw in grapes just to be different.

Cauliflower, carrots, red bell pepper and onions are typical for a giardiniera, but feel free to use whatever vegetable you like (celery is also very common in a giardiniera).

If you sterilize the jars, then these will last a long time without refrigeration.
If you don't boil the jars, then the pickled vegetables will stay in the fridge about a month.

Beware, your house is going to smell like vinegar!

Here's how I do it:

enough to fill 4-5 Ball or Weck jars

1 head of cauliflower, cut into medium size florets
2 red bell peppers, sliced
3 large carrots, cut into thick sticks
1 cup of black or red seedless grapes (optional), belly button sliced off
1 red onion, sliced thin

2 cups of cider or white vinegar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 cinnamon sticks, cut in half
pinch of hot pepper flakes
1 tbsp peppercorns

Blanch the cauliflower, red pepper and carrot sticks for 3-5 minutes in boiling water.
Remove immediately to a colander and rinse with very cold water to stop the cooking.

Fill the jars evenly with the blanched veggies, onion slices and grapes.

Boil the vinegar solution and simmer just until the sugar dissolves.

Pour over the vegetables in the jars and let cool.

Then tightly seal the jars.

Now you are ready to give them away as gifts, or serve on your next antipasto platter!

How many bagels would a beagle bake, if a beagle could bake bagels?

Enjoy!