Giardiniera sott'olio

Ingredients

• 200 g carrots
• 200 g green beans
• 200 g white celery
• 200 g asparagus
• 200 g courgettes
• 200 g small cucumbers
• 200 g spring white onions
• 200 g cauliflower
• 150 g shelled peas
• a bunch of parsley
• a few bay leaves
• 1 l water
• 750 dl apple cider vinegar
• 200 g extra virgin olive oil
• black peppercorns
• salt
• clean, dry 750 g glass jars with airtight lids

Preparation
Clean, trim and cut all the
vegetables into medium-sized pieces; keep only the edible part of the asparagus and divide
the cauliflower into florets. Place the courgettes and
cucumbers separately on a plate, sprinkle with a little salt and leave for a quarter of an hour
so they release their water. Prepare a large stainless steel pot
with the water and vinegar, and season lightly with salt once it comes to the boil.
Briefly rinse the courgettes and cucumbers and dry them
thoroughly. Drop into the boiling liquid first the carrots,
then the celery, followed by the cauliflower, the onion, the asparagus and the
green beans, and finally the cucumbers and courgettes. Take care that the
vegetables remain crisp, then drain everything. Spread the
blanched vegetables over clean, dry tea towels and cover them with
more tea towels. Blanch the peas in a small amount of lightly
salted boiling water and set them aside to dry. Wash and dry the
parsley leaves thoroughly. Once all the vegetables are
cool and dry, begin arranging them in the glass jars
in layers, varying the colours as desired. The pieces should
be packed very closely together. Between one layer and the next, garnish with
the parsley and a few peppercorns, drizzling in a little oil
at a time. At this point, add a couple of well-washed and dried bay leaves
to each jar. When you reach about two centimetres
from the rim of the jar, top up with the oil again, slowly,
so that it reaches every corner and no air bubbles remain.
Wait ten minutes and, if the vegetables are not fully covered, top up with oil once more. Screw on the lids and store
in a cool, dark place.

Variations
Depending on the type of vegetable you wish to preserve and according to personal
taste, you can let your imagination run free by adding mint leaves,
basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, chilli, and
so on.

Notes and tips
Giardiniera gets its name from the fact that it brings together the
vegetables offered by the kitchen garden at a given time of year: its
goodness therefore lies in the choice of produce, which must
be fresh, organically grown, finely cut, free from
blemishes and, above all, in season.
Preserves require a certain care in preparation: to
prevent the growth of toxic micro-organisms, which thrive in
oxygen and moist environments, we use vinegar, which creates an
acidic environment and inhibits water activity.
Extra virgin olive oil temporarily protects the vegetables
from contact with the air, and rounds out and completes the sharp flavour
of the vinegar. Oil is rich in antioxidants that
fight ageing and disease, and contains monounsaturated fats that protect the heart and arteries. The oil with the greatest concentration of
beneficial active substances is extra virgin olive oil,
cold-pressed and from organic farming.

Giulia Tommasi