Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
- Make sure all the vegetables are thoroughly washed. Remove the seeds and stem from the hot peppers and sweet peppers. Chop the peppers into 1/8-inch (3.2 mm) chunks. Chop the zucchini, celery, carrots, cauliflower, onion, and fennel bulb into 1/8-inch (3.2 mm) chunks. Slice the olives into rings and finely mince the garlic. Chop the basil and oregano.
- In a bowl, mix the vegetables, olives, garlic, herbs, and pepper together.
- Spoon the veggies into a very clean jar and top them off with the liquid. Make sure the solids are covered in liquid and use a kitchen knife to dislodge large bubbles. If you need it, pour in more oil and vinegar, about 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Screw on a tight fitting very clean lid and refrigerate.
- Serve. You can use it immediately, but you should give it at least three days to allow the juices from the veggies to come out and the flavors to marry. Then shake and taste and make additions as you see fit. It will keep for weeks in the fridge. If you know how to sterile can, you can put a batch up for use all winter.
Notes
About the oil. Canola doesn't get as cloudy and thick as olive oil when chilled.
About the hot peppers. If you want more hot chiles, go easy at first. You can always add more after you taste the mix. Use cayennes, jalapeños, or serranos. If you have an asbestos mouth, add some habaneros. If you don't want a lot of heat, remove the veins from the inside, that's where the heat hides. And wear gloves when handling them. Here's a good strategy: Buy an extra hot pepper or two. Make the recipe and if it's not hot enough after a day or three, andd more. Click here to read more about chiles and other peppers.
About the sweet peppers. Use a variety of sweet bell peppers, green, red, yellow, and orange. In Chicago the traditional recipe also calls for using some Melrose peppers, a long thin walled green pepper that is not hot at all. Melrose are hard to find so you can substitute any mild pepper, like banana peppers. Or just stick with the bells.
About the zucchini. If there are large seeds, scoop them out. The yellow squash is a bit firmer and crunchier.
About the basil and oregano. As a garden recipe, this calls for fresh herbs, but you can use dried. If you use dried, use 1/3 the quantity since dried is more concentrated. Click here to learn more about herbs and substitutions.
About the oil. You can use olive oil, but it will solidify and get cloudy when chilled. As soon as it warms to room temp it will clarify and flow. Canola oil will remain liquid in the fridge, but you can use corn oil or a salad oil blend.
About the olives. You have a lot of flexibility here. You can use kalamata olives or canned olives, green or black, packed in oil or brine, or all of them. Just be sure to get pitted olives.
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.