Giardiniera or mixed pickled vegetables is one of the most popular preserves, in Italy but not exclusively. It is ideal as an appetizer that is immediately ready to use, to enrich rice or pasta salads, or even as a delicious 100% vegetarian side dish.

It is a real “miniature garden” and you can easily prepare at home, with a few healthy and natural ingredients.

 

INGREDIENTS for 3 jars of 250 ml:

• 2 carrots
• 2 peppers
• 100g small onions
• 2 sticks of celery
• 3 bay leaves
• 400 ml of Varvello Wine Vinegar (6% acidity) Golden Line
• 400 ml water
• peppercorns to taste
• little salt

Preparation time for the mixed pickled vegetables: 15 minutes + pasteurization time.

 

PREPARATION:

Wash well all the vegetables. Peel the carrots and cut them into sticks about 1cm thick. Clean the peppers by removing the seeds and the internal filaments and cut them into medium size squares or sticks. Remove the strands of celery and cut it into chunks. Peel the baby onions.

In a medium size pot, bring the water and vinegar to a boil with the bay leaf, a few peppercorns and salt. Blanch the vegetables for a few minutes (they can vary according to the type of vegetable), then drain and put them in jars.

Allow the cooking liquid to cool completely, then pour it into the jars (previously sterilized in boiling water) filling the remaining 1cm from the edge. Insert a spacer (sterilized) into each jar and close tightly. After an hour, if necessary, top up with some more cooking liquid to cover all the vegetables completely.

At this point, place the jars in a large pot full of water and proceed with pasteurization by boiling for 20-30 minutes (for these procedures, follow the indications found in the guidelines of Ministry of Health).

Once cooled, check if a vacuum has formed (the centre of the lid should be lowered). If it does, store it in the pantry for at least a month prior to consumption.

 

VARIATIONS:

You can personalize your homemade pickled mixed vegetables by changing the types and quantities of the vegetables (zucchini, fennel, cucumber, green beans, cauliflower), adding other aromas and spices (cloves, fennel seeds, parsley, basil) you like or using the pure Apple Vinegar (with acidity of at least 5%) to obtain a much more acidic and particular taste.

The only caution you must take is to never decrease the acidity of the canned liquid, which is a factor that guarantees the safety of the product, throughout its conservation.