Giardiniera

I'm prepping for my daughter's baby shower. I'm in charge of the food, of course. I'll post the full menu and pics in the next couple of days. Today, I'm making giardiniera, Italian pickled vegetables. The star is cauliflower, accompanied by carrots, celery, peppers, and herbs. I had a lot of celery and several aging carrots, so my recipe includes generous amounts of both. I filled two quart jars, one for the party and one for my son, as I expect he'll want to take some home.

Giardiniera
Ingredients
1/2 head of cauliflower
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
5 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
1 c. pepperoncini
2 bay leaves
3 smashed cloves garlic
1 t. peppercorns
1/2 t. ea. of fennel and mustard seeds
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
4 c. water
2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. salt

Directions

1. In a stock pot, add herbs, spices, water, olive oil and salt. Simmer.
2. Separate the cauliflower florets.
3. Slice the other veggies.
4. Add everything to the stock pot and simmer for ten minutes.
5. Take off the heat and cool.
6. Store in sterilized jar or other suitable container. Refrigerate.
7. Edible the next day or within the next week.

P.S. The day after: After tasting this version of giardiniera, I prefer my pickled veggies brined raw and without olive oil. Just sayin' -- it was good but not my favorite batch. Better in a sandwich, perhaps, that as a sidedish or snack.