Fermented Giardiniera

This fermented giardiniera can be made in an extremely flexible fashion, especially when it comes with the vegetables used, the spices, the amount of heat you want to pack within it. It does not have to be spicy at all, if you wish it to be like that!

What is Giardiniera?

But let us take one step back: giardiniera. What is it? Giardiniera are pickled diced/cut vegetables that are traditional in Italy and can be found in any Italian supermarket or grocery shop. They generally include cauliflower, green beans, red peppers, carrots, onions (or baby onions). It is generally made as a traditional pickle, with wine vinegar, water, sugar, salt.

It is used to make one of my favourite summer dishes, insalata di riso (coming soon), which is an extremely simple and rustic cold rice salad. The rice is generally let cool and then mixed with drained giardiniera, some hard cheese (diced), and often some canned tuna and/or german sausages or diced salami. It is finally served as it is, with a choice of dressing of either mayonnaise or olive oil.
In Southern Italy, it is also used in some variations of insalata di mare, which is a cold seafood salad. Giardiniera is also great on sandwiches, pairing especially well with prosciutto cotto or mortadella.

The next level giardiniera: the lacto-fermented one

But here is the next level giardiniera: the lacto-fermented one. The taste is funky, kind of like sauerkraut‘s would be, and it is considerably more complex (and, in my opinion interesting) than its pickled counterparty. It will lift up any of your sandwiches, and will make an insalata di riso (fear not, recipe coming soon) that will be complex and even more delicious.

The acidity is reached through fermentation, as lactic acid bacteria produce, well, lactic acid. Therefore it is less pungent than the vinegar in pickles. Flavour is complex and funky. Sometimes it develops even a tiny bit of something that feels kind of fizzy when it hits the tongue.

Besides, you get all the nutritional benefits of lacto-fermented vegetables. Among others: you get a boost of lactic acid bacteria, similarly to when you eat natural yogurt; lactic acid fermentation is thought to preserve nutrients in vegetables pretty well, especially the likes of vitamin C and vitamin B2.

The only drawback, in terms of nutrition, might be the salt (at least 2% of the total weight, I go for 2.5%/3% generally), but by doing a quick research I see that one of the main commercial brand for giardiniera declares 2.1% salt on their jar, so it is comparable.

A very simple formula: clean jar, organic vegetables, filtered water, 2% salt

Making this fermented giardiniera is very easy. I strongly advise you read the article lacto-acid fermentation 101 if you are new to this, but the idea is: weigh your vegetables, weigh the water you add (it is not relevant how much, but vegetables must be submerged), add at least 2% of the total weight in salt (I use 3% to be on the safe side, but 2% is alright).

For example, I used a 3 liters jar, which is pretty large. I added 1,300 grams of chopped organic vegetables, 1,200 gr (or ml) of filtered/bottled water, and finally 75 grams of salt (3% of total weight, i.e., 3/100 * [1,200+1,300]). I could definitely fit more vegetables inside. Again, it does not matter how much vegetables and water you use, as long as you add 3% of their total weight in salt. You can adjust the amounts based on the size of your jar.

It is best to use salt that is non-iodised and without anti-caking agents – you can use most sea salt or Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If your salt is iodised or contains anti-caking agents, it will be written on the package.

It is very important to clean all your jars and utensils very well (for example, with a hot cycle in a dishwasher). Ideally, you would sanitise them. If you are not familiar with these processes, I strongly advise you to read lactic acid fermentation 101.

On flavour profile, you have a lot of choice. You can use pretty much any hard vegetables you would like. I strongly advise to get organic vegetables, at least for most of them, as it is less likely for them to contain chemicals that will prevent them from fermenting. This is what I generally use:

• Cauliflower;
• Red peppers;
• Green beans;
• Celery;
• Carrots;
• Garlic;
• Leeks (sometimes);
• Red or white onions;
• Fresh chilli peppers (I like green mild ones, like jalapeños or similar varieties, but you can go for red chillies if you would like more heat).

For spices, again you can use pretty much what you like. Some of them are just for flavour, some of them are functional as they are expected to prevent the vegetables from getting mushy (thanks to their content of tannins). I generally use:

• Bay leaves (contains tannins);
• Mustard seeds (contains tannins);
• Dried oregano;
• Black pepper seeds;
• Coriander (ground or seeds);
• Fennel seeds;
• Red chilli flakes (the variety you like most).

Some advice on weighing

It is likely that the first time you make this, you will not know in advance how much water and vegetables will fit into the jar. You will be adding water and spices first. Then you will be adding the salt, so that you can dissolve it well by shaking the jar. Only finally you will add the veggies. As the salt must be at least 2% of the total weight of vegetables, spices, and water, I strongly advise you to weigh your jar as well, so that if you lose track, because not all your vegetables fit into the jar, you can still weigh the whole jar and see how much water+veggies is inside (by calculating weight of water and vegetables = [total weight – weight of the empty jar]), and adjust salt if needed.

Take a note of how much vegetables and water, in grams, fit into your jar. The next time you make the giardiniera, this piece of information will be very handy.

Equipment

You will not need much. At the very least you need: a jar that can be closed, some weights to keep the vegetables submerged (the weight can be improvised even with a freezing bag filled with water). That is it. However, with this setup, you will have to “burp” your jar once or twice a day, especially in the first 3/4 days of fermentation. Burping the jar means you open it briefly to let the gases out (otherwise it might explode!!!).

However, you can get jars with airlocks (which need no burping) or you can buy special tops for mason jars that have airlocks embedded or are designed to let the air out without letting air in.

More information and products referrals on Lactic Acid Fermentation 101.

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Lacto-Fermented Giardiniera

September 8, 2020

Prep: 1 hr

Difficulty: Easy

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This lacto-fermented giardiniera will lift up any of your sandwiches, as well as adding complexity of flavour to most salads, rice/pasta salads.

By: TheObsessedCook

Ingredients

• For a 3 Litres jar
• 1.3 kg organic vegetables (suggestions: cauliflower, red peppers, green beans, celery, carrots, garlic, onion, fresh chillies)
• 1.2 kg filtered water or bottled water
• 75g salt (3%, non-iodised and without anti-caking agents – sea salt works great)
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• OPTIONAL. Other spices to your taste (suggestions, 1 tbsp each of: dried oregano, black pepper seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, 1 tsp chilli flakes)

Directions

• Step 1 Clean your jars and equipment thoroughly, for example by running them through a hot cycle in the dishwasher or boiling them for a few minutes. You can also sanitise them with specific products (examples: Milton Tablets, Starsan).
• Step 2 Dice your vegetables and weigh them. Weigh your jar. Weigh the water. If the weight is exactly the same as in the ingredients list, weigh also 75g of salt. If not, calculate salt weight as 3/100*[weight of vegetables + weight of water] (3% salt content).
• Step 3 Add water to the jar. Add spices and salt. Close the jar and shake it to dissolve salt (or mix it vigorously).
• Step 4 Add vegetables to the brine and make sure they are submerged (you can use a fermenting weight, or alternatively a small freezing bag filled with water and sealed). Close the jar (if you do not use an airlock, open the jar twice a day to let gases out)
• Step 5 Let ferment at room temp for at least 4 to 5 days, for up to 2/3 weeks. I generally do 1 week to 10 days. You can start tasting towards the fourth day. Once you are happy with the taste, you can move the giardiniera in smaller jars and put them in the refrigerator, ready to be used. If not contaminated (always use clean spoons), it can likely keep for at least 2 months, but likely more. The giardiniera must taste quite acidic after the fourth day. That is the guarantee that LAB are doing their job. Read my “Lactic Acid Fermentation 101” article to learn more.
• Step 6 [OPTIONAL] If you would like to be scientific about it, you can try to measure the acidity of the giardiniera to make sure it is done and safe. You can do this with digital meters or ph strips. The acidity should be lower than 5 after the first couple of days of fermentation, lower than 4.6 when the ferment is ready to be eaten.