I grew up near Chicago home of the Italian beef sandwich which is believed to have been created by Italian immigrants working in the stockyards. They had access to undesirable, tough cuts of beef which they then roasted and braised in herbs and garlic to make tender. Through necessity the sandwich was born. These days there is a heated debate among Chicagoans about who makes the best Italian beef. My vote goes to Al’s #1 Italian Beef, shout out. Al’s

will tell you that they are the original creator of the Italian beef during the Great Depression. Beef was scarce and therefore they sliced it thin to make it stretch farther. Their original Taylor Street location is still my favorite place to get a beef, it was there that I had my first one with my brother and his high school friends. I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to be there so the rebellion made it taste better. I make a slow cooker Italian beef, and it is actually pretty tasty, I will include the recipe at the end. But what I was always missing was the giardiniera, Italian pickled or marinated vegetables which accompany the sandwich. It was crazy to me that I hadn’t made my own yet, especially considering how versatile this condiment is. You can eat it on sandwiches, hot dogs, brats, mix it into a tuna salad, eat it alone on crusty bread. It’s good in pasta, on burgers; you can really eat it on anything. In Chicago, we even put it on pizza.

Chicago Style (Hot) Giardiniera

This process takes a few days.

Ingredients

1 C. Carrots, Medium Dice

1 C. Cauliflower, Chopped into Small Florets

2 Celery Stalks, Sliced

1 Red Bell Pepper, Diced

2-4 Serrano Peppers, Sliced

This may be controversial as no recipe I came across used them but I had some chopped white onion in the fridge, I threw it in too. I was happy I did.

1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano

1 C. Canola Oil

1/2 C. White Vinegar

For Brining

¼ Pickling Salt

2 C. Water

Method

Create a brine by adding the salt to the 2 cups of water stir until dissolved. Add the chopped vegetables and refrigerate overnight. The brine will remove some of the water from the vegetables which will make for a more crisp giardiniera.

After a day strain the veggies and rinse the salty brine away.

In a bowl combine the vegetables and vinegar. Allow to soak for 1 hour then strain. Finally transfer to a suitable vessel adding the oregano and top with oil. Allow several days to marinate before eating. The longer you marinate the better the flavor. Store in the refrigerator.

Easy Crockpot Italian Beef*

Ingredients

2 Pounds Chuck Roast

Generous amounts of Granulated Garlic

Generous amounts of Onion Powder

Generous Amounts of Celery Salt

1 Bay Leaf

Dried Oregano or other Italian Seasonings

½ a Jar of Pepperoncini with the Pickle Juice

Method

This recipe is so easy, just combine the roast and seasonings along with the pepperoncini and juice into a slow cooker and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4-5. Once the meat is fork tender, shred it and then allow it to cook for another hour or so. Serve with Italian rolls and homemade giardiniera.

*Italian beef purists will rightly note that this is not technically Italian Beef since the beef isn’t roasted first. But this will do in a pinch.