Cooking Trip to the Veneto & Giardiniera

I have just returned from a 2 week culinary adventure in Italy. 

We started w/ a luxe cooking trip to the Veneto with Stirred Travel, my 5th culinary adventure with them to Europe.

This trip we had the privilege of cooking w/ chef Ixta Belfrage from London, whose food was 10/10.  

She has 2 cookbooks and is a co-author of Yotam Ottolenghi's book Flavors.  What a privilege it was to learn from her and eat her delicious recipes everyday for an entire week.

We stayed at Villa Casagrande, a gorgeous family owned estate in the UNESCO heritage town of Cison di Valmarino an hour North of Venice. 

Filled w/ gorgeous family history, antiques and lush accommodations.    What could be bad?

We took day trips to Treviso, the Prosecco Hills and savored all the local produce and wines.  I am still on cloud 9 from the experience.   

Then onto Verona, Lake Garda, Bologna and Venice with some of the group.

While in Bologna, giardiniera in jars (pickled vegetables) was in every shop.  I didn't want to bring heavy glass jars home in my luggage, so I decided that first order when I got home was to make my own.

I used Domenica Marchetti's recipe and threw in my NJ farmer's market vegetables to make the most delicious treat to go with salami or cheese, or just eat out of the jar!

I made a few jars and gave some away.......here is how I made it.

Giardiniera (adapted from Preserving Italy by Domenica Marchetti)

1 medium head cauliflower (I used a purple one), separated into small florets

4 carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into 2" pieces

1 red onion, cut into chunks

1 cup green beans, sliced into 2-inch lengths

4 large celery stalks, sliced on the bias into 2-inch lengths

1 red bell pepper, cored, trimmed, sliced into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, trimmed, sliced into thin strips
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole juniper berries
2 fresh bay leaves
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Have the vegetables prepped and ready. Combine the vinegars, water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, crushed red pepper, cloves, juniper berries, and bay leaves in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Add all the vegetables and stir. Cover the pot and let the vegetables steep, still on the heat, for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and, with a skimmer or large slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to each quart jar or 1 tablespoon to each pint jar.

Pack the vegetables into the jars, adding a mix of each vegetable and some of the spices to each jar.

Pour the hot brine over the vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Screw the lids on tightly and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. (Alternatively, fill the jars as directed, screw on the lids, let cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator, I never do the sterilizing method).

The jars will keep in the fridge for a week or so.

I will be cooking many of the recipes we learned from Ixta last week, so stay tuned (and follow me on instagram, where I overshare everthing!).

Life is short, take the trip!

xoxo