Turns out this stuff is basically pickled vegetables stored in salad dressing. That’s why there’s so much salt in the recipe. Anyway, you soak the vegetables in salt water overnight, then drain them and store them in oil and vinegar.
Also? it makes a ton. So be aware. Having too much is never a bad thing, just saying, make sure you have space in your fridge.
Phase 1:
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a small head of cauliflower, finely chopped
8-10 serrano peppers, finely chopped (optional, only if you want it to be hot. Although if you don’t, what’s the point?)
3/4 cup iodized salt
water to cover
Phase 2:
10 or more cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons oregano
1 5 ounce jar of sliced green olives, drained
2 cups vinegar (I just used white vinegar, I doubt it makes a difference)
2 cups olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (also optional, I really think most of the heat here comes from the serranos. I have left this off without noticing any difference)
Directions
Mix all the vegetables from phase 1 in a large bowl. Add the salt and water, mix thoroughly, cover, and put in the refrigerator. Let it sit at least overnight.
When you take it out of the fridge, drain everything in to a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Return to the bowl, along the garlic, oregano, olives, and crushed red pepper from phase 2. Mix, but do it gently, because the cauliflower and olives are likely to break up if you do it too hard.
Mix together the oil and vinegar, and pour in to the bowl until everything is covered. It might take more liquid (I doubt it, but your mileage may vary). If that’s the case, mix equal parts oil and vinegar and add that to the bowl.
Once you have everything submerged, cover the bowl again, and put it back in the fridge. Let it sit for 2 days (ideally) before you eat. It’s best in the first week, but as long as you keep the oil and vinegar in the bowl covering everything, it never really goes bad. At least, as far as I know. It should stay good for a month or two, but I’ve never had it last that long. I usually end up eating bowls of it and regretting it the next morning.
eatbensmeat 