This recipe creates a very popular condiment common in the midwest and especially in Chicago. It is clearly Italian in origin and totally delicious. Locals use it on various popular sandwiches. You want to make this condiment.

There are various recipes, and mine is a composite of what I consider the best of all the other recipes I found, plus a bit of creative experimenting, and voila! Great stuff!

You use this condiment by putting the amount of your choice (be generous) on a sandwich like an Italian Sub or a Cheese Steak instead of other condiments or spreads. It also goes very well with sweet or hot Italian sausages in a sausage sandwich. Some aficionados even put it on pizza, though I've not tried that.

The only processing method I describe in this recipe for the finished condiment involves vacuum sealing it into bags and pasteurizing it to create a very long shelf life (easily a year) refrigerated product. You may decide instead to simply refrigerate the condiment after pasteurizing jars of it, but then use them within three months. Also, if you choose not to use the sodium benzoate then use all of the condiment within two to three weeks.

Let's get to it ...

Ingredients: (makes about 2 1/2 quarts)

2 yellow bell peppers, diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

8 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced to form 1/8 inch thick rings (w/wo seeds)

1 or 2 diced habanero peppers (optional ... very hot)

1 large celery stalk, finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup of fresh cauliflower florets, chopped fine

1/2 cup of canning or Kosher salt

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of bottled capers

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 cup of drained bottled whole pepperoncini, chopped

1 cup of large brine-cured green olives (or stuffed manzanillas), chopped

1 cup of oil-cured black olives (or kalamata olives), chopped

1 cup of white distilled vinegar (5% acidity)

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. of sodium benzoate solution (purchased through Koldkiss®) - optional

Directions:

Place the processed yellow and red peppers, celery, carrot, onion and cauliflower into a large 3 or 4 quart bowl.

Add the canning/Kosher salt to the bowl and mix well by hand.

Partially fill the bowl with enough cold water to barely cover the vegetables, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture overnight.

The next day, drain the salty water from the vegetables via a colander and put the vegetables back into the large bowl.

Process/Chop the capers, garlic, pepperoncini, jalapeno and habanero (optional) peppers, and the two types of olives and put them into a 2 quart bowl.

Add the oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper and mix well.

Add the vinegar and olive oil and mix well.

Add the sodium benzoate (optional but highly recommended) and mix well.

Combine that mixture with the vegetable mixture in the large bowl and mix well.

Vacuum seal one or two cup bags of the condiment, then lay all of the sealed bags flat and spread out on a baking sheet.

The final step is to pasteurize the bag contents in a 180 degrees F oven. Use a convection setting if you have it as that will require the least amount of time.

Pasteurize the condiment by putting the baking sheet into a 180 degrees F oven and keeping it there until the condiment bags reach a temperature of 170 degrees F. This will take a few hours, and you need to check the temperature periodically after the first hour. Simply place an instant read thermometer tip on the surface of a bag and leave the tip there until the thermometer shows the current temperature. You can rotate the baking sheet every 30 minutes to assure even heating.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the bags of condiment cool to room temperature, then refrigerate them.

Use this condiment by putting the amount of your choice (be generous, like at least 1/4 cup or more) on a sandwich like an Italian Sub or a Cheese Steak instead of other condiments or spreads. It also goes very well with sweet or hot Italian sausages in a sausage sandwich.

Enjoy!