Grandma Oneglia’s Giardiniera
Dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, lactose free, nut free, peanut free, soy free, keto, vegan, vegetarian, low carb.
Prep time: 30 min to wash and chop the vegetables + 1 h rest
Cook time: 1h 30 min
Total time: about 3 h
Servings: about 1.75 kg (3.8 lb, 12 cups)
Since moving to the US I have had giardiniera only a few times and, for some reason, I was never a big fan of it. Then, during my last Milano visit to my parents I tasted the giardiniera my mother made and GOOD GRACE it was so good I ate half of the jar with bread (aka ‘fare la scarpetta’ and with my keto bread it is finger licking good) 🤤.
This recipe comes from my mother Novella, who inherited it from my grandma Oneglia (another great cook). Preparing it makes me feel closer to home and maybe that’s why I have worked on this recipe on the plane back to Chicago. I’ve been living this life for 15 years now, and it never gets any easier to leave home ❤️🇮🇹.
This recipe is super simple and once the giardiniera jars are sterilized, it lasts in the fridge for about 6 months. Together with Novella’s Little Veggies it makes a great gift or addition to a gift basket.
The veggie amounts in the ingredients list is based on what my family likes, but feel free to change it up based on your favorite vegetables. If you don’t have dietary restrictions, feel free to swap 100 g of erythritol with 80 g of sugar.
Ingredients
Click on the ingredients and tools in the list for buying options (you might find alternative brands in the section Spesa/Grocery of this website).
Celery, 7 stalks (250 g, 9oz)
Carrots, 5 (570 g, 20 oz)
Cauliflower, 1 medium (860 g, 30oz)
Green beans, 500 g (18 oz)
Red and/or yellow bell peppers, 2 (350 g, 12 oz)
Red onions or shallots, 420 g (15 oz)
Olive oil to add to the giardiniera jars at the end.
For each 2.2 lb (1 kg) of cleaned and cut vegetables add:
Apple cider vinegar, 220 g (1 cup)
Dry white wine (pinot grigio type), 240 g (1 cup)
Erythritol, 100 g (½ cup)
Olive oil, 150 g (¾ cup)
Salt, 18 g (1 tbsp)
Tools you might be missing
Glass jars (8 oz or whatever empty jars you have)
Instructions
1. Wash, clean, and chop the vegetables in small pieces. Keep the cauliflower separate, while adding all other veggies to the same bowl.
2. Weigh the vegetables (always keeping the cauliflower separate), and add them to a pot. Add vinegar, white wine, erythritol, olive oil, and salt (see ingredients list for amount). Mix everything well.
3. Place the pot on the stove, cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour (basically until the veggies start softening up).
4. Add the cauliflower, mix, cover again, and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.
5. Add salt and/or erythritol to taste (careful not to burn yourself).
6. Move the giardiniera to a drainer and let drain for 1 hour.
7. While the giardiniera drains, sterilize the jars. There are various ways to do this (see, e.g., this link). I use the dishwasher.
8. After 1 hour add the giardiniera to the sterilized jars. Add olive oil to each jar and mix with a teaspoon, allowing the oil to penetrate removing any air bubbles. Add more oil and mix more, till all air bubbles (or as many as you can) are gone and each jar is almost full.
9. Close each jar tightly, wrap it in paper towel (or put it inside a sock, like my grandma used to do), add it to a pot full of water, and boil for 10 minutes, to sterilize everything again. Wrapping the jars in paper towel is important because the jars might explode if they touch while boiling.
10. Ta-daaaaaaaa
Notes
The veggie amounts in the ingredients list is based on what my family likes, but feel free to change it up based on your favorite vegetables. If you don’t have dietary restrictions, feel free to swap 100 g of erythritol with 80 g of sugar.
Storing
A jar of giardiniera lasts for about 6 months in the fridge. Once opened, you should eat it within a week
Nutritional Information
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, using the ingredients in the list and the USDA Food Database via myFitnessPal. This information is meant as a guideline only and should not be construed as a guarantee. The calculation doesn’t include the oil added at the end to remove the air bubbles.
Servings: about 2.5 oz| Calories: 120 | Total fat: 9.2 g | Total carbohydrates: 6.4 g | Total fiber: 1.9 g | Total sugars: 3 g | Protein: 1.3 g | Net Carbohydrates: 4.5 g