Take Italian Subs To The Next Level With This Bold And Savory Deli Addition

If you're trying to make Italian subs at home but they keep coming up short, the answer might be sitting in a jar of pickled vegetables. Giardiniera is a crunchy pickled vegetable relish made with ingredients like cauliflower, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and chile peppers that brings both acidity and heat to sandwiches that are filled with rich and salty fillings. Meats and cheese coupled with pickled vegetables create a contrast that is hard to beat. Sure, many chain Italian subs are good (some are better than others), but making them yourself at home means you can customize to your heart's content. 

Giardiniera's combination of vegetables can be added to an Italian roll or hoagie with whatever meats and cheeses you'd normally add. Think sliced salami, mortadella, ham, capicola, provolone cheese, mozzarella, or a combination of them all. You can also add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and mayonnaise. Then, once you've layered everything into the sandwich, add some of the giardiniera on top. 

Just make sure that you've drained off any excess oil so it doesn't make your sandwich soggy. That oil from the jar shouldn't go to waste, though — it can be used to make a quick deli-style vinaigrette by mixing it with red wine vinegar. Then, you can drizzle that over the sub before closing it up and chowing down.

While giardiniera is most closely associated with Italian-American deli sandwiches, it is authentically Italian in origin. The name translates to "from the garden," and it was a practical way to make use of a garden harvest by pickling vegetables to keep them available long past their season. In Italy, it varied by region or even household, but cauliflower, carrots, celery, peppers, and other crisp vegetables are the basic combination, just like in Chicago.

It reached Chicago when Italian immigrants brought their food traditions to the United States, and from there, it evolved into something much more distinct. Chicago has its own style of this pickled relish, which is often made from much more finely chopped vegetables that are preserved in oil with hot peppers. It's an altogether richer and spicier condiment than the Italian vinegar-based version. And it's most famously known for its use in the Chicago Italian beef sandwich, where it's piled into an Italian roll with thinly sliced roast beef. Really, though, it makes a versatile addition for anyone who wants to create a deli-worthy Italian sub at home with any combination of fillings. You can even add it to a grilled cheese, where it's one of several condiments that can take the sandwich to new heights. Consider it your new go-to move whenever a sandwich needs a little extra crunch, acidity, and heat.