Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Giardiniera (Pickled Vegetables) from The New York Times

The kitchen is my comfort zone, my happy place, the room in my house where I find calm even on the busiest days. And, while I’ve had (and still suffer through) my fair share of disasters, I typically shrug off failure because I’m endlessly curious about cooking. Nothing makes me happier than trying a new technique and mastering it on the way to serving a dish my family greets with genuine enthusiasm. When it comes to canning and preservation, however, I have been embarrassingly timid. I’ve always fretted that I would inadvertently poison friends or family, so I have lurked on the sidelines, watching the action from a safe distance.

Cathy Barrow (AKA Mrs. Wheelbarrow) introduced her longtime readers — and new ones — to Giardiniera, pickled vegetables Italian style, in this story that can be found in the Dining section of today’s New York Times (it appeared online last Friday). In it, she puts the nervous nellies among us at ease about the art of preservation, reassuring us that these boldly-flavored, crunchy pickles are a cinch to make safely. One look at that jar of brightly-colored vegetables nestled together with black peppercorns, red pepper flakes and my favorite dried oregano, and my anxiety lifted.

An added bonus? So many of the ingredients for Giardiniera are in-season at my local Farmer’s Market. I decided to use one of these medieval-looking heirloom Romanesco cauliflowers to increase the beauty quotient.

And, I picked up a few of these fire-engine red sweet peppers, too. Carrots and celery already were in the fridge.

The recipe comes together quickly and with minimal effort; some chopping and slicing of vegetables and a few jalapeno peppers (I subbed jalapenos for the serranos Cathy suggests). Then, the vegetables are generously salted and mixed together in a large bowl, before being covered in cold water for an all-day soak. Eight hours later, the vegetables are rinsed thoroughly, packed into a sterilized quart jar, and a peppery, garlicky and herby oil-and-vinegar dressing is poured in. A couple of vigorous shakes and those beauties were ready for a three-day, flavor-building marinade in the fridge. Cathy suggested shaking the jar a few times a day during the first day or so to make sure the dressing remained emulsified. While I was happy to follow her directions, I found myself checking on the jar every few hours anyway. This is what happens when you become a pickler.

Cathy explained in her story that in Chicago, this “zesty” melange of vegetables is spooned on pizza, mixed into tuna salad or served as an accompaniment to a hearty sandwich (Super Bowl buffet, anyone?). All of those serving options sounded appealing, but she was speaking my language when she noted that in the Northeast, Giardiniera can be found on an antipasto plate. So, that’s where I headed, combining a plate of salty and smoky Italian meats and a few slices of Provolone cheese with a dish of these irresistible, crunchy, flavor-packed pickled vegetables. Now, that’s a snack.

I’m looking forward to my next preservation project, and I’ll keep you posted about that. In the meantime, here’s a link to The New York Times for Cathy’s Giardiniera recipe.

Tagged as: black peppercorns, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celery salt, garlic, grape seed oil, jalapeno peppers, olive oil, oregano, serrano peppers, sweet red peppers, white vinegar