Google “Italian pickles” and you will get an avalanche of responses—nearly all for the same thing: giardiniera, that classic mix of garden vegetables in vinegar brine. I love giardiniera and on page 61 you will find my recipe, which features colorful carrots, cauliflower, peppers, and green beans and is based on one my mom used to make every year. But Italians pickle plenty of other vegetables as well: squat cipolline onions; crunchy fennel; peppers hot and sweet; beets, mushrooms, zucchini.
Pickling vegetables—preserving them in a vinegar solution—is an easy and tasty way to hold on to the colors and flavors of summer. To me, nothing beats the cold, sour (or sweet-and-sour) crunch of pickled vegetables, especially on a blustery winter day. In fact, a jar of pickled hot-and-sweet peppers (page 70), carrots and fennel (page 58), or giardiniera is often my go-to side dish for a hearty winter roast or stew.
A platter of mixed pickles, accompanied by cheese and salumi, makes a great appetizer for a casual get-together, no matter the season. Minced pickled vegetables are delicious mixed into a filling for stuffed peppers and tomatoes, or scattered atop pizza. But the best way to enjoy Italian-style pickles, in my opinion, is folded into Insalata di Riso (page 71), cold rice salad, together with hard-boiled eggs and tuna. This classic summer dish, an appetizing mix of color, flavor, and texture, was a specialty of my Zia Gilda and may just be my favorite recipe in the entire book.
I use a variety of vinegars for pickling. All of the vinegars called for are 5 percent acid. This is essential for preventing the growth of mold, bacteria, and other unwelcome microorganisms. Distilled white vinegar, made from grain (usually corn), has a sharp, clean flavor and no color. Wine vinegar can be either red or white and varies widely in quality. It can be made from a single variety, such as Pinot Grigio, or a mix. Better-quality wine vinegars are aromatic and complex, and less harsh-tasting than cheap ones. Like wine vinegars, balsamic wine vinegars can be dark or light in color and they vary in quality. True red balsamic vinegar is made from the must of Trebbiano grapes and is aged for at least 12 years in a succession of wood barrels that impart flavor and complexity. White balsamic vinegar is a combination of Trebbiano must and white wine vinegar. I use balsamic vinegar sparingly in recipes because it is expensive; also, red balsamic vinegar’s intensely dark color changes the color of brine. Apple cider vinegar is not common in Italian pickles, but I like its crisp, fruity flavor and so I call for it in some recipes.
I use non-iodized fine sea salt, which is what I usually have on hand in my cupboard. Pickling salt, which is also pure salt, may be substituted. You can also use kosher salt, but keep in mind that because of kosher salt’s larger crystal size, it will take longer to dissolve. You will also need to add up to 50 percent more in volume than the recipe calls for to obtain the same amount in weight as fine salt. Do not use table salt, which contains additives that can turn brine cloudy.
Several recipes call for both salt and sugar to create pickles known as agrodolce (sweet and sour). I use plain granulated sugar or, occasionally, vanilla sugar. The latter is made by burying a piece of vanilla bean in your sugar canister.
Black peppercorns, cloves, fennel seeds, and juniper berries are commonly used in Italian pickle preserves. Spices add depth to the flavor of pickles, so be sure yours are fresh (less than a year old). Dull spices make dull pickles.