Copyright © 20 16 by Domenica M archetti Photography © 20 16 by Lauren Volo All rig hts reserved. Food styling by M olly Shuster Prop styling by Richard Vassilatos For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
[email protected] or to Permissions, H oug hton M ifflin H arcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19 th Floor, N ew York, N ew York 10 016. Design by Jan Derev janik www.hmhco.com Library of Cong ress Catalog ing-in-Publication Data N ames: M archetti, Domenica, author. | Volo, Lauren, photographer. Title: Preserv ing Italy : canning , curing , infusing, and bottling Italian flavors and traditions / Domenica M archetti ; photography by Lauren Volo. Description: Boston : H oughton M ifflin H arcourt, [2 016] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 201 5037 8 82| ISBN 9 78054 4611 627 (trade paper) | ISBN 978 05446 1235 8 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH : Cooking, Italian. | Canning and preserving— Italy. | LCGFT: Cookbooks. Classification: LCC TX723 .M 326 55 201 6 | DDC 64 1.5945—dc23 LC record av ailable at http://lccn.loc.g ov/2015 0378 82 v1 .0 616 C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION SAFETY WATER-BATH CANNING PRESSURE CANNING Foods Preserved in Oil Foods Preserved in Vinegar Sweet Preserves: Conserves, Jams, Jellies, Marmalades Tomatoes and Sauce Infused Oils, Vinegars, and Condiments Fresh Cheeses and Simple Cured Meats Syrups, Liqueurs, and Fruits Preserved in Alcohol Confections SOURCES BIBLIOGRAPHY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR INTRODUCTION When my grandmother passed away in 1971, she left behind four grieving daughters and a large jar of her liquor-soaked cherries. The amber glass v essel was filled with tiny sour Amarena cherries that had been dried in the sun and then submerg ed in a sweet and potent syrup of sugar, alcohol, and spices. The jar was kept in a dark, cool pantry in the family apartment in Rome and the cherries doled out very parsimoniously by my mom and aunts. Ev en though we were pretty young, my sister and I loved those tiny flav or bombs and their boozy syrup. I can’t tell you how many times we feigned mal di pa ncia (stomach cramps) to get a spoonful. We savored each one until the last was finally consumed four or five years later (yes, they lasted that long). But when they were g one, they were gone; my g randmother nev er wrote down the recipe. For years I dreamed of the intense, winey flavor of those tiny cherries and their heavy, spiked syrup. Finally, with help from my mom—who recalled her mother making them but had