Italian Beef Sandwiches with Giardiniera

You don’t need to frequent Italian eateries in Chicago to get a great Italian beef sandwich served with savory pan juices and topped with hot giardiniera. Create your own and enjoy the authentic tastes of this classic meat and vegetable sandwich straight from your own kitchen.

The sandwich is often made with top round or rump roast, but in this recipe I made it with inexpensive chuck roast. The secret is not to braise the roast long enough for it to fall apart, but to pull it from the oven and chill it so that it can be cut it into very thin slices.

Two keys to this flavorful dish: tender, juicy beef braised in a rich, savory broth and sliced ultra-thin; and the robust, pickled vegetable medley called giardiniera (jar-di-nee’-ra) made one to two days in advance to give the flavors time to meld and develop.

“Giardiniera” means “from the garden” in Italian, and it’s good to take that as literally as possible. The mixture of garden fresh vegetables—commonly including spicy serrano or jalapeno chiles, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, and celery—is first brined in a simple water-salt solution, then pickled in a blend of vinegar, oil, olives, and spices. Time is a main ingredient as well. Give it plenty—the flavors only get better.

Giardiniera Vegetables

Be aware that this sandwich gets messy—and that’s a good thing. Choose a sturdy, chewy, crusty bread like baguette to soak up the beefy pan juices and oil from the giardiniera. The roll will still get a bit soggy and, yes, some of the giardiniera and beef slices will fall off. Again, all good. Enjoy the flavors and smile about the rest.

  

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

For the Giardiniera

• 1/3 cup salt
• 1 cup water, plus more
• 3 serrano chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 small celery rib, sliced vertically in half and finely chopped
• 1 cup very small cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup thin slices of peeled, baby-cut carrots
• 1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced pitted, green olives
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white vinegar

For the Beef

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 lb beef chuck roast
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried rosemary or dried basil (or a mixture)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 14.5-oz can low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4-5 warmed, crusty baguette rolls, sliced open but not separated into tops and bottoms 

Preparation

For the Giardiniera

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the salt in 1 cup of water.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the serrano chiles and next 7 ingredients (through red onion). Pour the salt solution over the vegetables and add enough water to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Mixed Giardiniera Vegetables

Giardiniera Vegetables in the Brine

1. Drain and rinse the vegetables in a colander or large sieve. Rinse out the bowl.
2. Add the garlic, olives, oregano, and pepper flakes to the bowl. Stir in the brined vegetables. Pour the oil and vinegar over the mixture and stir well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours (or overnight). Bring to room temperature before using.

Olive Mixture for Giardiniera

Giardiniera in Pickling Mixture

Giardiniera

For the Beef

1. Preheat the oven to 250° F.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Season the roast on both sides with the oregano, garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sear until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes per side.
3. Pour the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce around the roast and cover tightly. Braise in the oven 2 hours for medium doneness.
4. Remove the roast to a plate and cool. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Beef Beginning to Brown

Beef in Broth Ready to Braise

Beef Cooling

1. Let the pan juices cool then strain into a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Gently warm the beef juices in a medium saucepan.

Strained Pan Juices

1. Remove the beef from the refrigerator and cut across the grain into very thin slices, discarding fat. Place the beef slices in the pan with the pan juices until heated throughout.

Thinly Sliced Beef

Sliced Beef Returned to Pan Juices

To serve, divide and stack beef slices in the warm baguette rolls and top each generously with giardiniera.

Italian Beef Sandwich with Giardiniera

Save leftover giardiniera to top brioche or as a relish for grilled chicken or pork chops. It will keep 4-5 days, covered, in the refrigerator.