I absolutely love pickled vegetables. I have searched over the last couple years to find a good pickled cauliflower recipe. Finally, I decided to try one I found from the comfycook.com. This is a no-processing recipe that you can keep right in the fridge.
I changed the recipe a bit and changed the name. Originally labeled a Giardiniera, this recipe tastes much more like a CaliMix and therefore I re-named it. This pickled salad can be enjoyed over a hot Italian beef Sammy, skewered and dipped in a bloody Mary or added to an Italian salad.
Here is how I made this:
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups of White vinegar
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh black pepper
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 2 carrots
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 celery stalks
- Optional: pickled pepperoncinis or banana peppers
Cut up an entire head of cauliflower into bite size pieces. Coin or cut your carrots into 1 inch sticks. Chop the celery into half-inch pieces and cut the red bell pepper into one inch pieces as well.
Once your veggies are ready to go, set them aside and make the brine. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and salt in a large sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Add veggies and maintain a boil for 3-5 minutes. I thought five minutes was too long for my taste, the veggies did not have the crisp crunch that I was looking for so feel free to taste test throughout the 3-5 minutes of cooking.
Strain out the veggies, reserving the brine. I did this by using a slotted spoon and spooning my veggies directly into my canning jars.
Stir in the oregano and oil to the brine. At this point, add in the pepperoncinis to your veggies. Then ladle the liquid over the veggies in the jars.
Add more red pepper flakes if you are looking for more heat. I actually added about 1 tablespoon more to each jar because the spice wasn’t prevalent enough. If you are looking for a mild flavor, don’t add any additional flakes. The brine as-is is mild enough for my toddler to eat without her noticing the spice. Let the veggies marinate for about four days before eating. Keep refrigerated.
Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm the best selling author of Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. My fourth book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is now available for pre-order! I'm a certified master food preserver, food preservation instructor, organic gardener, chicken keeper and nature lover. I specialize in creating easy to follow recipes and directions to help other homesteaders meet their goals.
Yummy.
My family has made pickled cauliflower for years, just a simple vinegar with jalapenos, carrots and sometimes celery. I LOVE it and I’ll have to try out this recipe soon!
I can’t get enough of pickled cauliflower!
Thanks for the recipe! This looks delicious!
These look delicious! My kids will only eat cauliflower if it is pickled, I have to give this a try over the weekend.
I have never had cauliflower before. This does sound interesting though.
What a healthy meal.
Wow, this looks so good! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so yummy and delicious! I really love spicy foods, I’m gonna try this recipe. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I am curious about the clips shown in the photo ; I have “crocks” that I could use those kinds of clips on. Did they come with the jars ? ; Thanks
The jars I use are Weck jars. You can find them at weckjars.com directly but they are also sold at Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma and MightyNest.com. They are an all-glass alternative to mason jars. They use a rubber seal to lock and the clamps do come with the jars. I have used them for a few years now and I love them! I hope that helps.
Thank you ; I will check them out ! I have been very unhappy with “BALL” ; their quality has declined considerably since I bought them last. ; thanks again
Yeah, well not to mention there is BPA and who knows what in the lining of the lids. The Weck jars do cost more, but they are reusable and seal just as well as any of the Mason jars I have used. Plus, I love that they are all glass. The down side is that I’m not as free with my canned goods as I was before. I only share with family or friends I KNOW I’ll get the jars back from.
I didn’t even think of the BPA issue ; thanks for that tidbit. I understand the “sharing” issue when it comes to the jars. I started fermenting in larger jars and sharing in smaller recycled glass jars that I don’t care about getting back. I really like the fact that Weck has some that are liter+; that is a special bonus. I am trying some of the recipes in Sandor Katz’s books where I don’t use a canner. I like the idea of keeping all the live enzymes. Thanks again. I can’t wait to get my new jars !
I just bought one of Katz’s books but haven’t tried anything from it yet! I bought a handmade pottery crock back in May and just fermented sauerkraut for the first time. I haven’t made time to blog about it yet though. I’d be really interested to know what recipes have been a success for you! I’m excited to try pickles next.
Sandor was on our radio program in May; I am learning a lot from his books. I have very little storage space ; but I brined a carrot/garlic mix that my neighbors love. Next is cauliflower ^^. Here is a nice pdf I picked up today that you might find interesting 🙂 http://217.28.20.36/Kilner/KILNER_RECIPE_BOOK.pdf
Thanks for that book. I have a Kilner jam pot that I love to use. So you mentioned that you ferment. Have you ever fermented hot peppers or made your own hot sauce from them?
Sounds delicious. How long can they stay in the refridgerator. And, can you give any advice on canning this recipe?
I keep this recipe in the fridge for about a month. If you were to can the recipe, I would make a brine more comparable to a pickle brine and I wouldn’t use pickled peppers, I’d use fresh peppers that would pickle during the process. You would want to use white vinegar with 5% acidity and I’d probably add some pickling salt as well. Here is a recipe that might be a good guide for you: http://www.food.com/recipe/giardiniera-mixed-pickled-vegetables-for-canning-u-s-d-a-464205 let me know if you do try canning a similar recipe, I’d like to know how you do it!
Here is my pickled asparagus recipe, I use the same vinegar and water measurements when I make pickles. http://minnesotafromscratch.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/garlicky-pickled-asparagus-canning-recipe/
Good luck!
How many pints does this recipe make?
It’s hard to say because I didn’t use mason jars for this, I was using Weck Jars and they don’t come in quart and pint sizes. Also, I made this recipe so long ago that I really can’t remember. I’d guess 6 or less.
I know this is an old thread. But I found this recipe and tried it and it is awesome. I decided to put some jalapenos and leave some of the seeds in the recipe and it is perfect. I like super hot stuff. Thank you so much.
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you for the feedback.