-
1
Put 16 cups of water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
-
2
Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the cauliflower florets and cook them until tender-crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.
-
3
Remove the cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon and plunge them straight into a bowl of iced water.
-
4
Pour out half of the boiling water and add the white wine vinegar, remaining salt, fennel seeds, and garlic cloves.
-
5
Bring the pan back to a boil and add the celery, onions, peppers, fennel, and whole chiles; cook for about 10 minutes until tender.
-
6
Refresh the vegetables in the same way, plunging them into iced water; when they are cold, drain them along with the cauliflower florets.
-
7
In a large bowl, mix the cauliflower and other vegetables with the garlic, olives and capers.
-
8
Whisk together the vinegar and oil for the dressing and pour over the salad.
-
9
Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the chopped parsley.
-
10
Combine everything really well, which is easiest done using your hands.
-
11
At this point you have a pickled vegetable salad which serves 8 generously, or you can stuff everything into wide-necked sterilized canning jars and pour in a mixture of half vinegar and half olive oil to cover the vegetables.
