Gindo’s Spice of Life – Frankie’s Deli Giardiniera

After enjoying my first bottle of Gindo’s sauce so much I was eager to try another. This is another one of their collaboration sauces with a local business – in this case Frankie’s Deli and Italian Meat Market. Having grown up in the cultural orbit of Philadelphia I love a good Italian deli. The Chicagoland versions, which is where Gindo’s is from, have a local specialty that can rival the Philly Cheesteak – the Italian Beef. The Italian Beef is typically served with giardiniera, a spicy pickled mixture of various vegetables used to cut through the fatty greasy goodness of the sandwich. This sauces is based on that giardiniera condiment.

Giardiniera is a condiment I generally enjoy, though I do prefer the more vinegar-forward incarnations as compared to those that are heavy on the oil, which I find mutes the pickled taste. This sauce thankfully is of the former variety, and packs that fresh pickled vegetable flavor that I love in a giardiniera.

With a bevy of peppers and vegetables used in this sauce the flavor comes across as an ensemble piece where each element plays its part rather than any one dominating. There is a good pepper flavor, and the savory fulfilling taste of celery comes through well as do the briny elements from the olives and capers. This is a sauce that’s simultaneously fresh and vibrant while also having some richer and deeper flavor notes from the vegetables and spices used. The heat level on this is on the lower side of medium. There’s a little tingle, but it’s more about flavor than heat.

I tried this with breakfast first and it was a great partner to some fried eggs and ham, with enough spice to liven things up and provide that fresh vegetable notes to cut through the fat of the egg yolks and saltiness of the ham. While I don’t have a good Italian Beef stand nearby, I did give it a go with a cheesesteak and found it to be a great sandwich companion, gain providing that freshness and acidity to cut through the richness while also having that depth of flavor and complexity from the vegetable mélange that made it superior to just a basic Louisiana style sauce.

I can easily recommend this one, especially if you’re looking for a good sandwich companion sauce.

Ingredients: Jalapeno Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Banana Pepper, Serrano Pepper, Cauliflower, Carrot, Sea Salt, Celery, Pepperoncini, Garlic, Organic Cane Sugar, Green Olive, Kalamata Olive, Old Bay (Celery Salt (Salt, Celery Seed) Spices (incl. Red Pepper and Black Pepper), and Paprika), Peppercorn, Xanthan Gum, Onion, Capers.

Heat Level: 2/10. A nice low-medium level of heat makes this a great companion when you want flavor without burn.