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Home » Preservation Recipes » Pickled Cauliflower, Italian Style

Pickled Cauliflower, Italian Style

By Hank Shaw on May 16, 2015, Updated October 29, 2020 - 17 Comments

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5 from 3 votes
Pickled cauliflower recipe
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Pickled cauliflower recipe
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

When I was growing up in Jersey, every Italian restaurant had a jar of pickled vegetables somewhere around the counter, and for long years I thought “antipasti” specifically meant the combination of pickled cauliflower, carrots and onions that always appeared whenever you ordered “antipasto” at these red-sauce joints.

And in many places, they just set it out on the table the way a Mexican place sets out chips and salsa. Sometimes there were skinny breadsticks alongside, sometimes garlic knots, sometimes garlic bread.

The real name for this mix of pickled cauliflower and other vegetables is giardiniera, or garden pickles, and they are, apparently, a Southern Italian thing. Makes sense since this is where most Italians in my town came from. The mix also often has pickled green peppers and celery in it, too, and some can be wicked hot.

Cauliflower isn’t my favorite vegetable to eat normally — it bores me — but I do like it pickled. Its firm texture and form really lend themselves to pickling. So I make these every year as a hat tip to my New Jersey childhood.

Below is an Italian recipe for pickling cauliflower, but some fun variations would be:

  • Adding turmeric or saffron to the vinegar to turn it a bright yellow.
  • Including beets to stain it pink.
  • Actually making giardiniera, by adding sliced carrot, onion, garlic and peppers.
  • Go Asian by adding a tablespoon of soy sauce instead of salt, a few slices of fresh ginger, skipping all the spices below except for the chiles, and adding some sliced garlic.

You can make your pickled cauliflower as a refrigerator pickle, as I mostly do, or you can water-bath can it, following these safety guidelines.

Pickled cauliflower recipe
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5 from 3 votes

Pickled Cauliflower, Italian Style

This is as close as I've gotten to the classic pickled cauliflower of my youth. You can also use this recipe for carrots, broccoli and other hard vegetables. And if you don't feel like canning, you can keep the pickles in the fridge for several months. The general method for this recipe is inspired by The Joy of Pickling, although I have changed the flavors around. This makes about 2 quarts.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 12
Calories: 49kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 4 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 4 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 4 teaspoons mustard seeds (optional)
  • 4 dried hot chiles
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 7 cups white vinegar
  • 7 cups water
  • 5 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt

Instructions

  • Get a large canning pot full of water hot. Be sure it has a rack or a metal steaming insert to keep the bottom of the glass jars from touching the bottom of the pot.
  • Toast the coriander, fennel and mustard seeds in a dry pan until they smell fragrant. Stir or toss occasionally. As soon as you hear the first seed pop, turn off the heat.
  • Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into pieces you’d want to eat as a pickle — neither too big nor too small. Do this by cutting down around the stem, then breaking the clumps of florets into smaller pieces. You may want to trim the stem pieces as you go.
  • Divide the toasted spices, thyme and chiles into 4 clean quart jars. Pack the cauliflower into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
  • Boil the vinegar, salt and water and ladle into jars. You might have some left over, depending on how tightly you packed the cauliflower.
  • Wipe the rims before you put on unused lids — you must use new lids every time, otherwise you might not get a proper seal; you can reuse the metal lid rims, though. Submerge in simmering water for 10 minutes, then let cool on a cutting board or rack. Wait at least a few weeks before eating. These pickles will keep in the pantry for a year. Refrigerate after opening, though.

Notes

Serve these pickles alongside my brine pickled carrots and maybe some pickled artichoke hearts. A few slices of salami, some good cheese and bread and a bottle of wine and you're all set.

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg
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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Featured, Italian, Preservation Recipes, Recipe

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for MaryMary says

    August 14, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    I have a question, Hank – you don’t say how big or what kind of dried hot chiles to use, so how much dried crushed red pepper flakes would I use instead? These are quite potent!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      August 14, 2020 at 3:41 pm

      Mary: It’s all up to you. I like it hot. And remember, you can always add more.

      Reply
  2. Avatar for BriaBria says

    February 26, 2019 at 5:51 pm

    Very cool recipe. My family is also southern Italian and I ate these growing up but haven’t had them in a while. So today I bought a bunch of ingredients and made some without a recipe, just guessing what should go in them, and it I suppose it’s genetic because I made them almost exactly like this recipe! I went online to see if I did it right, but I guess it’s in the blood. Lol

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Ginger MastersGinger Masters says

    July 15, 2017 at 7:30 pm

    How long before I can eat them? I put them up in pint and 1/2 pint jars as it’s just me.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      July 17, 2017 at 8:45 am

      Ginger: Generally at least a week.

      Reply
  4. Avatar for AnnAnn says

    June 7, 2017 at 9:12 am

    Thank you! Can’t wait to make them.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for AnnAnn says

    June 4, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    You stated “if you don’t feel like canning, you can keep the pickles in the fridge for several months”. So, does that mean I could put the whole recipe in a gallon jar, follow the recipe as you described except for water bathing the jar? Let it cool and put in fridge? Wait a few weeks before eating? (Sorry. Never canned before) Thanks.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      June 5, 2017 at 7:51 am

      Ann: Yes. I’ve done this with quart jars for years. The pickles will last a few months that way.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for DeeDee says

    January 23, 2016 at 9:37 am

    I’m new to water bath canning and I actually made pickled cauliflower with lemon slices. I tried a jar after one week (delish) but the cauliflower is soft.. not crunchy. Is it supposed to be?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 23, 2016 at 2:51 pm

      Dee: Nope. It is supposed to be crunchy. How long did you water bath can it?

      Reply
  7. Avatar for JeanJean says

    January 3, 2016 at 11:49 am

    So, neither cauliflower nor carrots are cooked before canning.

    Reply
  8. Avatar for LouLou says

    May 30, 2015 at 12:54 pm

    Hahaha!
    I thought that too

    Reply
  9. Avatar for Coco in the KitchenCoco in the Kitchen says

    May 29, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    We Armenians love including cauliflower in homemade pickled vegetables.
    The Italian spices are a refreshing change. I’m looking forward to it.

    Reply
  10. Avatar for Keith McGowanKeith McGowan says

    May 17, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    so a 10 minute BWB? I will have to try your recipe this fall.. THANKS!

    Reply
  11. Avatar for Ricardo RodríguezRicardo Rodríguez says

    May 17, 2015 at 1:13 am

    Lyne, and Hank: I made fermented cauliflower with carrots this spring, using basically this same recipe above, except I used no thyme, used 4 jalapeño peppers cut lengtwise, seeds and all, instead of dry chiles, and added black peppercorns and caraway seeds, and some 5 cloves of garlic.
    The brine was 3 tbsp. canning or kosher salt per quart/liter of water.

    The pickles turned out great after one week, but I let them one week more and they got better to my taste, and a little softer, but still crunchy.
    Only thing I´d rather not had used was the caraway seeds, they were too overwhelming for me.

    Reply
  12. Avatar for LyneLyne says

    May 16, 2015 at 11:19 am

    Have you tried making this using a traditional fermentation? I love giardiniera and would really enjoy making my own. Do you have a recipe for that?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      May 16, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Lyne: I haven’t. But there is not reason you couldn’t use that brine pickled carrot recipe I link to in this post. If you do it, let me know how it turns out, OK?

      Reply

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