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Our Favorite Giardiniera Recipe

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2 weeks ago

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Our homemade giardiniera is outrageously good! This easy pickled vegetable relish, made with oregano, vinegar, and olive oil, will quickly become your go-to condiment for everything (it has for me!).

Homemade Giardiniera

You can thank Chef Richard for this incredible recipe. It walks the line between Italian and Chicago style, giving you the best of both worlds. You’ll find the classic mix of crunchy veggies and herbs typical of Italian-style alongside the olive oil and a touch of heat that defines Chicago style giardiniera.

I love this pickled veggie relish, and honestly, I have a hard time not adding it to my dinner plate each night. It’s crunchy, thanks to the veggies. Herby, thanks to oregano, and perfectly punchy, thanks to the vinegar. I’m obsessed. For more veggie pickles, try our pickled carrots, dill pickles, or these pickled beets!

Key Ingredients

  • Vegetables: The mixture of crunchy and colorful veggies really makes this homemade giardiniera so exciting. We use cauliflower, onion, sweet bell peppers (the multi-colored mini sweet peppers are my favorite for this!), carrots, and celery.
  • Garlic and Oregano: Fresh garlic is the way to go. We use 5 cloves and mince it finely, this way the brine really takes on the garlicky flavor. Dried oregano is perfect for this, too. If you prefer to use fresh, that’s fine too. Just remember you’ll need more of it. A good rule of thumb is to start with 2 to 3 times the amount of dried oregano called for in the recipe and adjust to your taste.
  • Salt and Sugar: We add a bit of salt and sugar to most of our pickles on Inspired Taste. The salt seasons the brine, and the sugar balances out the astringent qualities of the vinegar. Be sure to use sea salt or pickling salt, as table salt contains iodine that can sometimes cause discoloration or issues in pickling.
  • Black Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes: Fresh ground black pepper makes the giardiniera taste more well-seasoned, and the red pepper flakes add a hint of heat. They are optional! You can use common crushed red pepper flakes (like those found at pizza restaurants) or try gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes). I love them and use them for homemade kimchi. They have some heat but are a little sweeter, so I’ve been using them in place of crushed red pepper flakes a lot in my cooking.
  • Pimento Stuffed Olives: These might be my favorite part of Chef Richard’s giardiniera. You’ll slice them into rings and stir them in right before you transfer everything to a jar.
  • Vinegar and Olive Oil: For the best flavor, reach for a good-quality white wine vinegar. When it comes to the oil, look for regular, more refined olive oil, not extra-virgin. Since you’ll be refrigerating these pickles, using regular olive oil helps prevent it from hardening significantly in the cold (though it may still firm up a little). If you notice the oil has solidified when serving, let the jar sit at room temperature for a bit to return to its liquid form.

How to Make Homemade Giardiniera

I prefer the vegetables to be chopped fairly small, more like a relish, so you will spend most of your time prepping them. Think tiny “trees” for the cauliflower (like in my cauliflower chickpea salad) and about 1/4-inch pieces for the other veggies. While chopping takes a little effort, this recipe makes a large batch, so you’ll be stocked for a while. Trust me, once your first jar is gone, you’ll happily head back to your cutting board to make another!

How to Make Giardiniera: Veggies with oregano, vinegar, and olive oil

While it’s good right away, the true magic happens after a day or two in the fridge. The vegetables marinate, and the flavors meld, becoming even better. The carrots and cauliflower become ever so slightly tender. They are still crunchy, but not the same level of crunch as raw. I can’t wait for you to try it!

Homemade GiardinieraHomemade Giardiniera

Our Favorite Giardiniera

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

You can think of this version as a blend between Italian and Chicago-style giardiniera. I call it Italian for its nice list of crunchy veggies, vinegar, and herbs, and Chicago-style because we also add some olive oil and a little heat with pepper flakes (though that’s optional). Homemade giardiniera lasts about 3 weeks in the fridge and adds a crunchy, zesty bite to almost anything (we especially love it for burgers, pizza, and antipasto boards with sliced homemade focaccia).

One 2-quart jar, 32 Servings

You Will Need

1 ½ pounds (680g) cauliflower, 1 small-to-medium cauliflower, about 4 cups small florets

Half a large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces (226g) sweet bell peppers, seeds removed and chopped, about 2 cups

3 ribs celery, about 1 cup chopped celery

4 medium carrots, about 2 cups chopped carrots

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fine sea salt or pickling salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

20 green pimento stuffed olives, sliced into rings

2 ½ cups (20oz or 590ml) white wine vinegar

1 ½ cups (12oz or 354ml) olive oil, not extra-virgin, see note

Directions

    1Prepare equipment: Set aside a large mixing bowl and a 2-quart canning jar (or two 1-quart jars).

    2Prepare the vegetables: Remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower and then cut or pull it into tiny florets (about 1/4 inch). Mince the garlic, and then cut the remaining vegetables (onion, sweet peppers, celery, and carrots) into pieces no larger than 1/4 inch.

    3Combine the vegetables: In the large mixing bowl, combine the prepared cauliflower, onion, garlic, sweet peppers, celery, carrots, oregano, salt, sugar, black pepper, and pepper flakes (if using). Toss to combine, then let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes.

    4Make the brine: In a saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar and olive oil. Bring this mixture to a simmer over medium heat.

    5Add the brine to the vegetables: Carefully pour the hot vinegar and oil brine over the vegetable mixture. Use a spoon to press down all of the veggies, so they are submerged in the brine. Wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and allow everything to cool completely to room temperature.

    6Add the olives and transfer to a jar: Once cooled, mix in the sliced green olives. Transfer the entire mixture to a 2-quart jar (or two 1-quart jars).

    7Store in the refrigerator: Refrigerate overnight (preferably upside down, set inside a bowl, to ensure even brining). The next day, turn the jar right-side up and let it stand for one more day in the fridge. They will only get better from here! As it sits, make sure the brine covers the vegetables. It lasts in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

  • A note on olive oil: We suggest using a regular, more refined olive oil for this recipe rather than extra-virgin. Extra-virgin olive oil tends to solidify more rapidly and completely in the cold temperatures of the refrigerator, making it harder to serve directly from the fridge. If you notice the oil has solidified when serving, don’t worry—leave the giardiniera out at room temperature for a short period until the oil liquefies again.
  • Storing: Keep homemade giardiniera in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, ensuring the vegetables remain fully submerged in the brine. If needed, you can top up the jar with more vinegar and oil to keep everything covered (start with 2 tablespoons vinegar + 1 tablespoon olive oil).
  • Ways to serve it: Homemade giardiniera is so good I eat it straight from the jar, but it’s incredibly versatile and can add a terrific, tangy bite to almost anything. It’s classic with Italian beef and roast beef sandwiches. I love it for muffuletta sandwiches, and it’s perfect on an appetizer or antipasto board. Try it on homemade burgers, turkey burgers, beer brats, meatloaf, and hot dogs. I also love it as an alternative to pickles for my tuna salad, chickpea salad, and chicken salad! And finally, we love it on pizza (see my homemade pizza dough or cheese pizza to try it).
  • The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Calculating how much salt is in the veggies is difficult, so we have included all of the brine in the calculations.

Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
about 1/4 cup (veggies and brine)
/
Calories
111
/
Total Fat
10.9g
/
Saturated Fat
1.6g
/
Cholesterol
0mg
/
Sodium
260.5mg
/
Carbohydrate
3.4g
/
Dietary Fiber
1g
/
Total Sugars
1.7g
/
Protein
0.7g


AUTHOR:

Joanne Gallagher


Adam and Joanne of Inspired Taste

We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us

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Food

Madurai Kullappa Mess brings the flavours of southern Tamil Nadu to your plate

Published

2 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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An assortment of popular dishes at Madurai Kullappa Mess

An assortment of popular dishes at Madurai Kullappa Mess
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Now, find the flavours of Madurai in the heart of Chennai. At Madurai Kullappa Mess, the menu is built around meat: ghee mutton chukka, brain masala, liver fry, and head and trotters curry. However, it is the seafood here that seems to pull the most crowds, from crisp netheli fry to their Sunday-only ayira meen kuzhambu (a tamarind-based gravy made using this freshwater fish native to Tamil Nadu. These are tiny and slender fish often found in canals along agricultural fields and ponds. Due to their size, they are typically cooked whole.)

Promoted by Jeyanandh Dinakaran and helmed by managing director V Sivasankaran, this restaurant brings the bold, rustic flavors of Madurai to the city, with a menu that celebrates everything from biryani to meat-based gravies.

We visited this newly launched restaurant on a sunny afternoon to try their non-vegetarian set meals (₹299 andveg ₹225). The meals come with unlimited rice and five gravies, including crab, fish, chicken, mutton and a robust karuvadu thokku (a semi-gravy made with dried fish) .

As we waited for our order, Sivasankaran explained that the masalas are made in-house, with the lamb meat sourced from Thiruvallur district. The ghee, cold pressed groundnut and gingelly oil are brought in from the Delta regions, along the river Cauvery in Tamil Nadu. “Our signature dish is ayira meen kulmabu which is served only on Sundays and viraal meen varuval, available everyday. We get ayirai meen from Madurai, which we transport in aluminium cans on buses. This dish sells out quickly, so we recommend pre-booking,” he says.

Simmakal Seeraga Samba Biryani

Simmakal Seeraga Samba Biryani
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

We try the viral meen varuval along with the Simmakkal-style seeraga samba biryani. The biryani is moist, clumped together and not fluffy owing to the texture of the native rice. It was rather underwhelming. It is available in chicken and mutton variants, priced at ₹310 and ₹410, respectively.

To round off the meal, we order mutton ghee chukka and mutton uppu kari — two classic Madurai-style dry preparations. When the set meals arrive, I taste all the gravies, and the mutton kulambu and karuvadu thokku stand out for their depth of flavor. The viraal meen is crisp on the outside and moist inside, perfectly fried. Uppu Kari, Sivasankaran explains, uses the bare essentials: red chilli, shallots, garlic, pepper, and salt, all slow-cooked in gingelly oil. The mutton nei (ghee) chukka has an intense flavour and tender meat. Though the dish carries the rich aroma of ghee, there’s none in the cooking — only the red chillies are roasted in ghee before being added.

Viraal meen fry

Viraal meen fry
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Madurai Kullappa Mess offers Chennai diners a taste of Madurai’s hearty, meat-centric cuisine. While the gravies in the set meal were more subdued than expected and did not leave a lasting impression, the dry meat and seafood specials shine with bold, rustic flavors.

Non-vegetarain set meals is priced at ₹299)

Non-vegetarain set meals is priced at ₹299)
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Madurai Kullappa Mess, T Nagar. Open from noon to 11pm. A meal for two is ₹800. For reservations, call 6385123456 .

Published – June 20, 2025 02:08 pm IST

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Food

Looking for meat-heavy breakfast options in Madurai? Try Amsavalli Bhavan

Published

4 days ago

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June 18, 2025

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Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai is among the oldest restaurants in the city.

Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai is among the oldest restaurants in the city.
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY G

It is not yet 9am when a man arrives at Amsavalli carrying a steel thookuvali and a cloth bag. The hum of workers getting the parcel counter ready fills the air, and he waits patiently as uthappams and parottas are being prepared in the kitchen. It is a dinner-time ritual for people in Madurai to lug a thookuvali to a streetside parotta shop for salna. At Amsavalli though, this also happens at breakfast time. The restaurant, that has been in existence for over 75 years, offers a breakfast menu unlike anywhere else in the city: think mutton liver curry and brain fry. Here, mutton offal is served for a little over an hour from 9.30am onwards, getting sold-out long before lunch is ready.

Mutton cops at Amsavalli in Madurai served for breakfast with uthappam and parotta.

Mutton cops at Amsavalli in Madurai served for breakfast with uthappam and parotta.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

G Arunraj, the third-generation owner of the restaurant on East Veli Street, says that the menu is an extension of his grandfather’s idea of offering mutton samosas, trotters paaya, and dum tea from 4am to 6am. “This was served from our initial days,” says the 47-year-old, adding that their chief customers were workers at the wholesale markets at nearby Nelpettai and Vethalaipettai. “The entire neighbourhood used to be bustling from as early as 3.30am, with load men lugging bulging sacks,” he says, adding that they also had early morning walkers who would round off their routine with a cup of their paaya.

The pre-dawn snacks eventually gave way to the present menu, that Arunraj says gets sold-out by 11am. The menu includes a range of mutton offal curries that can be paired with their soft parottas or uthappams.

The curries come in small portions, and can be easily polished off with two uthappams. We order a serving of almost everything on the menu. The mutton nenju chops, a fiery semi-gravy of meat slow-cooked until it is softer than their parotta, is easily a favourite.

Although tempted to order more portions, we move on to the other offerings: eeral kulambu, mutton liver cooked in a chilli and coriander masala base, mutton kidneys enveloped in a spicy masala, and the mutton chukka. The latter pairs well with their parotta. But the highlight is the mutton onion kulambu, a fragrant curry of meat simmered in shallots. This is best had with their thick uthappams: douse a piece in the curry and wrap it in a small piece of mutton to enjoy the flavours of meat and the curry to the fullest.

Mutton liver curry at Amsavalli

Mutton liver curry at Amsavalli
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

Our waiter suggests we try their famous apple milk. The chilled dessert of tiny pieces of apple and thick milk served in a tall glass, we realise, cools down the palate after the onslaught of the spices. Two parottas, one uthappam, and several plates of the curries down, we realise why this menu works. Mutton is irresistible, no matter which part of the day it is served.

Open for breakfast from 9.30am to 11am. Call  0452 262 0117 for details.

Published – June 16, 2025 01:20 pm IST

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Food

Brandon’s Egg Roll Tacos Recipe

Published

5 days ago

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June 17, 2025

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Egg Roll, Meet Taco.

Lindsay Ostrom headshot.

Are you even ready for this? What we have here is like an egg roll filling (meat, cabbage, carrots, soy sauce, garlic, ginger) meets a fried little taco (flour tortilla, fresh veg on top, gochujang sauce for serving) and the whole thing eats a lot like a folded sandwich.

That’s going to be a big yes from me.

My friend Brandon has been telling me about these for weeks. I know the whole idea of meat smashed into tortillas is really having a moment on social media (smash burger tacos, chicken Caesar smash tacos, etc.), but the concept has always seemed a little strange to me.

Until I tried these ones – and now I’m a believer.

Besides being super yummy (don’t skip the gochujang sauce it is DIVINE on there) – these are shockingly easy to make. I know some of the recipes in the last SOS series leaned a little more towards “involved” than I normally do – there were some extras that I just couldn’t let go of. Shallot crispies, panko breading, house sauce, etc. So let’s think of this as a BONUS SOS recipe. You can easily make this in 20 minutes without breaking a sweat.

Hope you love it! And thanks to Brandon for sharing this idea with me! YOU WERE RIGHT!

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