For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

A couple of days ago I made a whole bunch of hot giardiniera for some Italian beef and sausage sandwiches that was so good that I made a Giardiniera Pizza the very next day. If you like spicy food, this is the meal for you. I couldn’t resist topping a delicious pizza with all these marinated fresh vegetables that took days to make.

Yes I know a few days are along time to wait, but believe me it’s worth it. You need to let the flavor of the garlic, peppers and vegetables mix together. You could just open a jar of giardiniera and top the pizza dough instead of waiting but it wouldn’t be the same as making you own. Besides you can always make a large batch and give some away to your friends and neighbors to enjoy.

For those of you not familiar with giardiniera, it all started in a small deli in Chicago around 1920 where Nick Pasquini began serving the condiment to accompany his sandwiches. Giardiniera literally mean “from the garden” and if you have a large enough garden for all the ingredients your doing pretty good. This is definitely a vegetarians dream.

The recipe below is what I use, but a number of vegetables can also be added including zucchini, asparagus capers, etc.. I think I got most of them covered in my recipe. Like I said the easiest part is making the giardiniera and the hardest part is waiting for it to marinate in the fridge. And don’t forget after the pizza it’s time for the beef and sausage sandwiches. Enjoy! Mangia Italiano!

Hot Giardiniera

INGREDIENTS

• 1 red sweet pepper, diced into tiny pieces
• 1/2 green sweet pepper, diced into tiny pieces
• 2 bunches of long green onions, finely chopped
• 3 cauliflower florets, cut into very tiny pieces
• 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 15 jalapeno peppers, cut into little pieces
• 20 Manzanella olives, sliced in half
• 2 plum tomatoes. Diced into small pieces
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped

• 1 and 1/2 cups of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 cups of cider vinegar
• 1 Tbls of salt
• 1 Tbls of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 17oz air-seal square glass jars

PREPARATION

• Simply mix all the vegetable together in a large bowl.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Place the vegetable mixture in the two jars.
• Add equal portions of oil and vinegar to both completely covering the vegetable.
• Tightly seal the jar and refrigerate for at least two days
  before using.
• The giardiniera should last refrigerated around 2 weeks.

Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of warm water
• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbls of sugar

PREPARATION

• In a large bowl pour in warm water and sugar.
• Stir to dissolve sugar.
• Add yeast and gently stir until yeast is dissolved.
• Let mixture sit for around 15 minutes to activate yeast.
• Add oil and salt and gently stir.
• Add one cup of flour and mix.
• Add a second cup of flour and mix until sticky.
• Add third cup of flour and mix until dough becomes thick.
• Place the dough on a floured board and gradually knead in the remaining flour.
• Dust with extra flour and continue kneading until dough becomes firm. About 10 minutes.
• Kneading is complete when you have a smooth silky ball of dough. It's better to over knead than to under knead.
• Grease a large bowl with a little oil.
• Place dough in the bowl turning once to coat the dough.
• Cover with a dish towel an place in a warm place for about 2 hours allowing the dough to double in size.
• Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half and roll the into two balls.

Roll out the dough in a square or round shape. Top the pizza dough with the giardiniera. Let it sit for around 2 hours to let the dough rise a little more. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes until the crust is nice and browned.

Phil has been cooking and creating Italian dishes ever since the age of ten. His passion and love for Italian food is never ending. Visit him at http://www.great-chicago-italian-recipes.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Web recipes-on-the-net.com

A Make at Home Version of California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Pizza by Mark Hester
A Mouthwatering Homemade Pizza Sensation You Just Have To Try by Maria Glensworth
Auntie DD Easy Pizza Dough Recipe by Diane Dutchin
Basic Pizza Dough by Alan Beggerow
Basic Pizza Dough Recipe by Barb Plourde
Chicago Style Pizza Dough by Pamela L. Holden
Chicago Style Pizza Sauce With Roasted Tomatoes by Pamela L. Holden
CopyCat Recipes Restaurants Do Not Want You to Have by Marge Du Plessis
Grilling Pizza - Easy Techniques to Making Perfectly Delicious Grilled Pizza From Scratch by Billy Bristol
Heart Healthy Pizza Recipe That Actually Reduces Cholesterol by Malcolm Waters
Home Baking Pizza - Save Money and Spend Time With Your Children by Making a Pizza Night! by John C Shelton
Homemade Hot Giardiniera Pizza by Phillip Speciale
Homemade Pizza Dough by John T Pratt
Home Made Pizza Sauce by Alan Beggerow
Homemade Pizza - Tips and Tools For the Best Results by Sally Kimbel
How to Make a Delicious Grilled Pizza Recipe by KC Kudra
How to Make a Homemade Pizza From Scratch by Shelly Hill
How to Make an Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce by Robert Owens
How to Make a Ratatouille Pizza by Pamela L. Holden
How To Make Pizza - A Step By Step Guide To Show You How To Make Pizza by Kalpagam Swaminathan
Italian Calzone - The Tasty Alternative to Pizza by KC Kudra
Leftover Pizza Recipes by Ac Clark
Looking For the Award Winning Fruit Pizza Recipe? by Raymond Pettibone
Make a Yummy Low Fat Pizza by Sean Lannin
Making Pizza Dough at Home by Sean Lannin
My Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe by Matthew Finn
Pizza Dough Can Save You Dough by Regina Freeland
Pizza Dough Using Your Bread Machine by Vinny DiLeo
Pizza Hut Recipes by Jim Smithson
Pizza Making Essentials For the Home Pizza Chef by KC Kudra
Pizza Recipe - Chicago Deep Dish by Allen Wheeler
Pizza Recipe - How to Make a Quick Fix Pizza For One by Kelli E. Stevens
Pizza Recipes - What Makes a Great Pizza? by Simon B Smith
Pizza Sauce Recipe - Incredibly Fresh Tasting by Lee Griffith
Secrets to Great Homemade Pizza by Sean Lannin
Simple Pizza Dough by Cristie Will
Spinach-Green Tea Phyllo Pizza Eric Newman
The Best Marinated Lamb Pizza Recipe by KC Kudra
The Best Pizza Sauce by Sean Lannin
The Italian Sausage Clafouzza (SM) - A Hybrid Clafoutis and Pizza Recipe by Frank Ernhart
The Secret Recipes of Pizza Hut - Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza by Aileen Berwick
Tips For Making Great Pizza by Vinny DiLeo
Too Busy to Make Pizza Dough From Scratch? Here Are Some Quick and Easy Alternatives by Molly Ottersen
Too Good to be Healthy Pizza by Bethany Klug
Where Comfort Food Meets Healthy Food by KC Kudra

< Back to Pizza Recipes