Windy City Classic - Homemade Giardiniera

Having moved to the Chicago area from Wisconsin just after college, I immediately had several important food-related Chicago "firsts".  First up was the deep dish style pizza the city is most known for.  Second was the experience of being yelled at by the owner of a well known hotdog stand (as well as other customers) for asking for ketchup on my hotdog - - what I have now learned is an unforgivable sin.  At the time I thought it was crazy, but after more than a decade of living here I can't even imagine putting ketchup on anything but fries.  Consider me indoctrinated.

Gather all your ingredients together

The third, and probably most memorable food "first" was when a friend and Chicago native introduced me to the glorious concoction that is Giardiniera.  (Pronounced JAR-DIH-NAIR-AH) This amazing combination of vegetables - - crunchy, and salty and spicy - - in a seasoned oil dressing, is like nothing I had tried before.  In Chicago, it is (ironically) almost like their ketchup, meaning they put it on everything!  It is most known for being served on Italian Beef sandwiches but that is really just the beginning.  It makes a great topping for any sandwich, burger, hotdog, or brat and is even great as a topping on pizza.  You can add it to scrambled eggs, pulled pork or even just serve it as a condiment alongside a cheese board, or as an antipasto.  The briny combination is a perfect contrast to rich cheeses and meats.

You can cut your veggies to
whatever size you prefer.

There are extremely hot versions of Giardiniera and there are some milder ones.  The beauty of making it at home is that you can customize it to your exact liking.  While I provided my recipe below you can experiment and make it just way you want it.  The ingredients you choose are another variable, although die hard Chicagoans might not agree with me on that.  My recipe, for example, doesn't use green olives because neither my husband or I are a huge fan.  It also does not have celery because I just don't like the flavor of raw celery in anything except my Bloody Mary's.

Veggies in their salty brine

Making this recipe is quite easy, it just takes a little pre-planning since it takes a few days.  But none of the steps are difficult.  And, since the finished product will last in the fridge for several weeks (if you can keep from eating it all!) making a larger batch is a good idea in the summer months.  That ensures you will have it at the ready for cookouts and quick throw together dinners.  It is one of those "secret" ingredients that can take a boring pork tenderloin sandwich from "so-so" to amazing.

So let's get started so you can get one step closer to having this in your fridge.  The first thing you need to do is chop up all your raw veggies into small pieces.  If you are planning to use the Giardiniera as more of a condiment you want the pieces to be small enough to sit easily on a burger or sandwich.

Combine 4 cups of water in a glass (or non-reactive) bowl with the salt, and stir until dissolved.   Add the raw veggies and stir to combine.  (Don't add the pickles or the banana peppers at this stage) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture over night.

Rinse the brined veggies well
to control the saltiness.

On day two, drain and rinse the veggies in a colander.  You will want to rinse them very well - - I took the drained veggies and soaked them in fresh cold water for about 5 minutes just to really get them rinsed thoroughly.  If you want your final product to be on the saltier side then you don't have to worry about this extra step.   As you often hear me say, to make tasty food you have to taste it along the way.  The same holds true for this recipe.  The only way to know how the brined veggies turned out is to taste them.  This will help you determine if you want to rinse them more or not.  They will be salty, but remember you are going to marinate them in oil and seasonings which will counter some of that, so you do want them to have somewhat of a salty bite to them.  

All ingredients combined
in the bowl, becoming tastier
by the second!

In a clean bowl, combine the oil, dried oregano, red pepper flake and black pepper.   Add in the rinsed veggies, the diced up pickles and the banana peppers.  Stir well to combine and allow to marinate for several hours. At this stage, the mixture will look like the finished product, but it will need a little time to really come together.  The best part is that it only gets better with time.

Close up of the finished product

After it has marinated for a bit, go ahead and give it a taste - - try to control yourself and not eat half the batch with a bunch of crusty bread, licking the oil as it is running down your fingers hoping no one comes into the kitchen and sees you.... well, I did manage to save some of it! :)

Place the finished mixture into mason jars (or other well sealed containers) and you are good to go.  The jars will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks if necessary, but I think you will find that it is hard to keep from using it up quickly.  It really is one of the best things about Chicago food classics and the memories I have about when I first moved here.   With Spring weather finally upon us, I can't wait to light up the grill, serve this up alongside a hotdog (sans ketchup of course) and listen to a baseball game on the radio with my husband.  Sometimes, the best things in life are the simple ones.

Recipe:
1/2 cup Kosher Salt
1 cup small diced carrots
1 cup tiny cauliflower florets
2-3 jalapeños (use serranos for more heat) sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 green bell pepper, diced small
4-5 baby gherkins, diced
10 banana pepper rings, diced
3 cups canola oil
1 1/2 Tbs dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)

Finished Giardiniera in Mason jars!  Don't they look tasty!?

The Impatient Gardener

With the latest forecast promising to keep Old Man Winter around for another couple of weeks, I headed to the store to try and find relief from my cabin fever in the form of planning for my garden.  I am very much looking forward to getting out in the yard and starting my planting.  This will be my third year in a row of having a larger garden that allows me to grow several kinds of vegetables.   Each year I try to add in new and varied items, switching things in and out and trying different growing methods.

Greenhouse containers I used
to start my seeds!

When picking out what to plant, I always try and grow things I know we will eat throughout the summer, and that I can multi-task into different recipes.  To help get a head start on planting this year, (and to help me get into the Spring Spirit when temperatures are still in the low 30s!), I picked up a few indoor Greenhouse planters at the store along with some seeds.

Along with the vegetables this year, I am going to be adding some bulbs to a few of the flower beds around the yard to ramp up the colors throughout the growing season. Since I wanted to have a lot to choose from - - it always seems pretty picked over if you procrastinate and wait to shop for the seeds you want - - I thought going early in the season was the best bet.  Boy was I right!  I walked up and down aisle after aisle of bulbs and seeds for flowers and vegetables and herbs.  All of those gorgeous options really gave me a boost of creativity and lots of fun ideas for the yard and the garden.  For just a few minutes, I forgot about the blustery dreary weather and lost myself in the anticipation of what Summer will bring.

Basil and Green Onion
Seed Packets

One of the vegetables I want to grow this year are Green Onions (also called Scallions).  Sticking with my rule to grow what I know I can use, this was a no brainer because I like to use Green Onions in everything from salads to omelets to stir-fry so I knew they would be a good choice.  I am also looking forward to grilling them alongside our steaks this summer and making some pestos and sauces with them.  Yum yum yum!  So I located them in the seed isle and checked out the growing cycle on the seed packet - - 120 days!  Yikes!  Since that is quite a bit longer than most of the other veggies I am planning to grow I thought it was the perfect chance to try starting them early before the weather would normally allow for it.

Growing tablets before
water was added

One of the other staples I grow in the summer is Basil.  I use it by the boatload in salads, sandwiches, pastas and of course pestos.  I even bring my extra harvests to friends and family throughout the season.   I think we eat a Caprese salad with just about every meal once my tomatoes start producing in the summer months.  So, given all of that, it too made the list of plants I will be starting from seeds rather than waiting and buying plantings.  If you use fresh Basil in your cooking it really does make sense to grow your own at home.  For what they charge you at the store for just a few clippings, you can buy a plant that will keep producing for you all season long.

The tablets start to absorb the warm water
and grow and expand in less than a minute.

This is the first time I've tried using these starter Greenhouse kits so hopefully they will produce some good results for me.  Once they start producing seedlings I will be sure and post pictures of their progress.  

The starter tablets inside the container are small disks.  You simply add warm water and they come to life and expand, creating perfect little homes for your seeds.  The transformation only takes about a minute and then you drain the excess water from the container.  I thought this process would be messy or somehow more difficult than it said on the package but I was happily surprised with how quick, clean and easy it really was.

Green Onion seeds - they are
so tiny! 

I decided to get both a larger version that holds 20 of the starter disks for the onions, and a smaller 10 disk container for my Basil.  Since I am planning on growing a few different iterations of the onions, planting these seeds now, and then more sown directly into the garden this Spring, I wanted to experiment with just how many seedlings I would be able to get from this method.

Condensation builds on the inside cover after only a few minutes.

Once you have drained off the extra water, you place a few of the seeds into each hole where you want them to grow and press them gently into the soil.  After a light misting of water, and some words of encouragement (Yes, I am one of those people!) I replaced the plastic greenhouse lid that came with the kit and placed it in my dining room where it will get a lot of sun.

Now all that's left to do is to wait for Mother Nature to take its course and grow some beautiful plants for me to use this summer.  If I close my eyes, I can almost taste the pesto!

Happy Planting!

Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Mascarpone

This has to be one of my absolute favorite pasta dishes.  I'm not sure what part I like the most -- the creamy cannellini beans, the salty bite from the sausage or the luxurious sauce that you get from the mascarpone.  All of them come together in such a simple and rustic dish that your friends and family  will love.  Don't be surprised if they start asking for the recipe!  Just add some crusty white bread or a small salad and you have a complete meal on the table in under 30 minutes.

The first step is to get the water boiling for the pasta, so I put the pot on the stove and put a lid on it.  While you wait for the water to boil, you can get all of your veggies ready.  This is meant to be a rustic dish so don't focus so much on the perfect cuts.  Once you have them chopped, go ahead and heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  You are going to be browning the sausage and the cooking veggies in the same pan so choose a large enough skillet to allow yourself the room you need.

Chopped veggies ready to go!

When your water is boiling add the pasta to the water and cook it until just al dente. Now, this is one of those terms you might hear on cooking shows or at restaurants and think it is just fancy chef talk, but it really makes a difference to the end result of your dish. You don't want to overcook your pasta or the texture will be too soft and take away from the contrast between the beans and the sausage.  So, set a timer if you have to but don't forget about your pasta!

While the pasta cooks, add the garlic and onions to the oil and sauté them for a minute or two with the dried herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the sausage to the pan and begin to break it up with a wooden spoon.  I prefer to leave the pieces larger but you can break it up as small as you like.  I hold off on adding the mushrooms until a little later because you don't want to risk breaking them up while you brown the meat.

Add the mushrooms to the pan after the
sausage is almost cooked through.

While the veggies are continuing to sauté you can drain and rinse the beans.  Canned beans are a great pantry staple that I always have on hand.  They are a weekday cooks dream and as long as you rinse them well they will taste great.  Once rinsed, add the beans to the pan with the mushrooms and sausage and mix them gently.  By now the sausage should be cooked and safe for you to taste. This is the perfect time to test your seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Add the rinsed beans to the pan

Drain the pasta (don't rinse it) and add it back into the large pot that you cooked it in over medium-low heat.  Add the  sausage and veggies to the pot with the pasta and stir in the mascarpone cheese.


For those of you who have never cooked with mascarpone, it is most often thought of as an ingredient in the classic Italian dessert Tiramisu.  But don't let that dissuade you, because it works perfectly in this savory sauce.  It works best when at room temperature so it can melt smoothly but if you take it out the fridge when you start the recipe that should be enough time.  It won't immediately melt into the dish so be patient.  Put the lid on the pot to give it a chance to melt.  You can use this time to clean up your work area and get out bowls for the pasta.

After adding the cheese let
it melt into the pasta.

Check the pasta after about 2 minutes and give it another couple of stirs to fully incorporate the cheese. The mascarpone will melt into the warm pasta and make a very light creamy sauce for the dish.  Let it heat through and then give it another quick taste to see if it needs any more salt or pepper.

And that, my friends, is all there is to it.  Magic, right?

Close up of the cheesy creamy goodness!

Recipe:
Cellentani pasta (or any variation of your choice!)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Yellow onion - chopped
Portabella mushrooms - 1 8 oz container chopped
1 lb. Sausage - regular or turkey sausage
1 garlic clove - minced
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans
1 Tbs Herbs de Provence or Italian Herb Mix
1 container Mascarpone cheese
Kosher salt
Black pepper

This recipe is a spin off of a pasta dish found in Giada's Kitchen - New Italian Favorites cookbook.