Giardiniera Bean Salad
Boonville Barn Collective
2 quarts
30 minutes
1 hours
Italian
Side dish
A briny bean salad with the pucker of pickled vegetables, and the slow burn of Calabrian chile! To make it, we started with Krissy’s grandmother’s giardiniera recipe, and used the brine as the base for the dressing so nothing goes to waste. The recipe makes about 2 quarts of finished salad, but it keeps well–at least a week in the fridge. Let leftovers come to room temp before serving to allow the olive oil in the dressing to soften.
Ingredients
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¾ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon Calabrian Chile Flakes (or more)
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½ small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
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3 cups cooked Boonville Barn beans like Zolfini or Rosso di Lucca (cooked from ½ pound dry beans( or 2 14-ounce cans white beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¾ cup pitted green olives
2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
½ cup ginely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
Make the brine: In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, oregano, pepper, and Calabrian chile flakes. Cover and bring to a boil. If left uncovered, the brine will evaporate and you may not have enough!
Pickle the vegetables: Immediately add the cauliflower, carrots, celery, green pepper, and red pepper. They won’t be fully submerged, and that’s ok. Simmer the vegetables in the brine, covered, for 5 minutes. Again, if left uncovered, the brine will evaporate and you may not have enough! Then remove the pan from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer the vegetables and their brine into a quart sized mason jar. Refrigerate overnight.
Make the salad: In a large serving bowl combine the beans, pickled vegetables, and all of the brine. Add the olives, garlic, red onion, and mustard. Drizzle in the olive oil, add the parmesan and stir to combine. Set aside to marinate at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for at least an hour.
Season the salad: Season with salt, pepper, and additional oregano and Calabrian chile flakes to taste. Just before serving, fold in the cherry tomatoes.
