AIP Giardiniera (Nightshade-Free)

Giardiniera is a classic Italian pickle, traditionally made with a medley of cauliflower, carrots, celery, bell peppers and hot peppers, with a bit of heat from red pepper flakes. It’s especially beloved in Chicago, where it’s piled onto Italian beef sandwiches for a vinegary, spicy crunch. Since those peppers and chili flakes are nightshades, they’re off-limits on the Autoimmune Protocol. So I’ve designed an AIP Giardiniera recipe without any of the nightshades and replaced the touch of heat with turmeric, which also gives these pickles an anti-inflammatory boost.

How this Giardiniera recipe fits AIP

This refrigerator Giardiniera recipe is completely AIP because I’ve left out the nightshades like peppers and chiles. Any “heat” or spice is coming from cloves and turmeric, which are both AIP-friendly spices. For those of you on AIP Modified looking to round out the ingredient list, you could optionally toss some black peppercorns, mustard seeds or coriander seeds into the brine.

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Peel and slice the carrots into quarter-inch coins. (Use rainbow carrots if you’d like a little more variety!) Chop the celery into one-inch pieces. Remove the core from the cauliflower and break it into bite-sized florets. If you’d rather make more of a pickle relish, you could chop the vegetables into smaller pieces.

Then, get the pickling process started by brining the vegetables. Put them all in a large bowl with three teaspoons of salt and cover with cold water. Then pop the bowl in the fridge for at least two hours, but as long as six hours. The larger your vegetable pieces, the longer you’ll want this them to swim in the brine.

After a few hours, remove the vegetables from the fridge and drain off the brine. You could give it all a quick rinse if you need to, but it’s not needed. The vegetables will have absorbed a good amount of salt and will begin to be soft and pliable.

Divide the vegetables evenly into clean, heat-safe canning jars. We’re not aiming for these jars to ultimately be shelf-stable. They’ll hold in the fridge for a few weeks. For that reason, I’m not sterilizing my jars beyond the heat-dry in my dishwasher. You can sterilize if that’s your preference, but it’s not needed. The recipe is also not designed to follow safe canning guidelines. These jars of AIP Giardiniera are technically a refrigerator pickle – or quick pickle – so they can go by different rules.

To make the brine, add water and white wine vinegar to a small saucepan along with the garlic, bay leaves, fresh oregano, whole cloves and ground turmeric. The turmeric will make the brine orange and the cauliflower will turn a bright, sunshine yellow. It also adds a little bit of heat, which is nice because traditional giardiniera typically has some chiles. But it will also amp up the anti-inflammatory factor! Then the taste of clove will kick in and balance out the citrusy turmeric with a little bit of depth and warm spice.

Bring the brine to a bubble and let it simmer for around three to five minutes, then pour it over the vegetables, filling the jars to the top. Spoon the garlic, herbs and spices into the jars, as well. Let the jars cool a bit, then cover and finish cooling in the fridge. The giardiniera will be ready to eat in about eight hours.

Now you have crisp and tangy homemade AIP Giardiniera that’s perfect for tossing into salads or to snack on straight out of the fridge. And there’s no need to go through all the complex steps for canning. Just keep them covered and stored in the fridge and they’ll stay delicious and fresh for up to three weeks.

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AIP Giardiniera (Nightshade-Free)

5 from 1 vote

AIP giardiniera made with cauliflower, carrots, and celery in a turmeric-spiced brine for a nightshade-free refrigerator pickle.

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Prep Time:6 hours hrs

Cook Time:30 minutes mins

Pickling Time:8 hours hrs

Total Time:14 days d 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 cups

Author: Christina Marche

Ingredients

• 1½ cups chopped celery
• 3 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 3 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• 2 cups white wine vinegar
• 2 cups cold water, plus more for brining
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1½ tsp whole cloves
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground turmeric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine celery, cauliflower florets, and carrots. Aim for about 7 to 8 cups of vegetables total. Sprinkle with three teaspoons of salt and add enough cold water to fully submerge the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (for a smaller chop), or up to 6 (for larger pieces) to begin the pickling process.
• Once brined, drain the vegetables thoroughly and transfer them to clean, heat-safe canning jars.
• In a medium saucepan, combine white wine vinegar, two cups cold water, garlic, bay leaves, cloves, oregano and ground turmeric. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then taste and adjust the seasoning with up to a half teaspoon of salt, keeping in mind that the vegetables are already seasoned from the initial brine. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• Carefully pour the hot brine over the vegetables, dividing the garlic, spices and herbs across the jars, until the liquid just covers the vegetables. Let cool slightly at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.
• Keep refrigerated and consume within two to three weeks.

Notes

This is a refrigerator pickle recipe, not a shelf-stable preserved food. The recipe is not written to comply with safe canning guidelines. Do not store at room temperature. The process does not require sterilization of jars or equipment, though sterilization is always a good practice. Once prepared, keep the giardiniera tightly sealed in the refrigerator and consume within two to three weeks. Discard earlier if you notice any signs of spoilage, such as mold, off smells or bubbling.

Course: Snack

Cuisine: AIP, AIP Modified