Mixed Pickle/Giardiniera

[sarahbyrdd]

Inspired by http://www.onetomato-twotomato.com/Main/Blog/Entries/2012/9/30_Indian_Summer_Giardiniera_Pickle.html
and the mixed vegetable pickle in the Ball Book

1 eggplant
2 yellow squash
1 zucchini
5 round italian hot peppers
2 small onions
3 red bell peppers
2 cups green beans
1 cauliflower head
5 small carrots

Cut eggplant, squash, zucchini, onions, bell peppers and cauliflower in to 1 inch chunks, cut carrots thinner on diagonal, cut hot peppers in to thin rounds, stem the green beans and cut in half if they're long.
Soak the above in water with 1 cup salt overnight.  You may want to wear gloves to push the veg into jars to avoid discomfort from the hot peppers.

Brine:
8 cups red wine vinegar (batch 2, 2 cups red, 4 cups white)
1/4 pickling spice mix
2 tsps hot pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic slivered
1 tbl oregano (batch 2 only)
1 cup sugar

Divide vegetables in to prepared jars, top with brine leaving headspace, dividing the spices equally, hot water process for 15 minutes for pints, 20 for quarts.

ARGH.  Ended up having to do two batches of brine and forgot to put the garlic and spices in the jars on the first round.  Meh.  It'll still be tasty dressed with oil as an antipasto or on a salad.

Yield: 2 quarts, 1 3/4-quart and 10 pints.  Love the retro blue pint jars.

Comments

[kuzu-no-ha.livejournal.com]

So I am totally intrigued by the use of eggplant in your pickles. What are they like?

[sarahbyrdd.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. I was looking at bunch of different recipes on the web and liked the idea of using eggplant as this one suggested.

Subsequently I've found recipes for marinated eggplant (grated into ribbons) that are then drained and canned in oil. Also looks tasty. Though I don't know much about canning in oil yet.

[kuzu-no-ha.livejournal.com]

Well I look forward to hearing how it goes! Eggplant is such an annoying food for me. I want to like it more than I do.

[sarahbyrdd.livejournal.com]

We tried some last night and it was pretty good. The eggplant softened up and tasted like the pickle brine and had a little zing from the hot peppers.

Glad you liked the recipe

[tammy kimbler (from livejournal.com)]

I'm so glad to see people are trying the giardinara! Glad you liked it. Sincerely, Tammy of One tomato, two tomato.

Re: Glad you liked the recipe

[sarahbyrdd.livejournal.com]

I did! I've married into an Italian-American family, and gardinara makes a regular appearance at the table. I'm so much happier serving something we put up rather than store-bought.