CALABRESE ANTIPASTO

Calabrese Antipasto image

Provided by Michael Chiarello : Food Network

Time 2h

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

1 cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
4 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices
4 inner celery ribs, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 pound small fresh button mushrooms
1 jar (7 1/2 ounces) pepperoncini (pickled green peppers)
1 (3-ounce) can pitted black olives, drained
1 (5-ounce) jar pimiento stuffed Spanish olives, drained
1 (12-ounce) jar baby kosher dill pickles, drained and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 (7 1/2-ounce) jar pickled onions
1 (6 1/2-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (7-ounce) can imported olive oil packed tuna, drained
1 (2 ounce) tin anchovies with capers, drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
3/4 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar, plus more for jars
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cayenne pepper
Sea salt, preferably gray salt

Steps:

Place all of the prepared and drained vegetables in separate bowls and reserve their juices.
In a large saucepan, combine ketchup, Worcestershire, horseradish, tomato sauce, tarragon vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season, to taste, with salt.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Blanch the cauliflower for about 2 minutes; it should still be crisp. With a skimmer, transfer the florets to a tray to cool quickly. Repeat with the carrots and then with the celery, cooking them just long enough to remove their raw taste; they will be cooked more later. Add the white wine vinegar to the water and blanch the mushrooms for 1 minute (the vinegar will keep the mushrooms white). Drain and spread the mushrooms on a tray to cool quickly.
Add the cauliflower, carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the sauce. Add the juices from the canned and jarred vegetables. Add the pepperoncini, olives, pickles, onions, and artichoke hearts and toss well.
In sterilized canning jars, place 1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar (this will guarantee freshness). Load the sauced vegetables into the jar, using a wide-mouthed funnel to avoid a mess.
In one of the large pans that you have used, add olive oil, tuna, and anchovies and mix well. Top each jar with some of the tuna mixture. Cover and refrigerate, or allow to cool on the counter before serving. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.