PRESERVING ITALY

Recipes for Canning, Curing, Infusing, and Bottling Italian Traditions

Capture the flavors of Italy with more than 150 recipes for conserves, pickles, sauces, liqueurs, infusions, and other preserves

The notion of preserving shouldn’t be limited to American jams and jellies, and in this book, author Domenica Marchetti turns our gaze to the ever-alluring flavors and ingredients of Italy.

There, abundant produce and other Mediterranean ingredients lend themselves particularly well to canning, bottling, and other preserving methods. Think of marinated artichokes in olive oil, classic giardiniera, or, of course, the late-summer tradition of putting up tomato sauce. But in this book we get so much more, from Marchetti’s in-person travels across the regions of Italy as well as the recipes handed down through her family: sweet and sour peppers, Marsala-spiked apricot jam, lemon-infused olive oil, and her grandmother’s amarene, sour cherries preserved in alcohol.

Beyond canning and pickling, the book also includes recipes for making cheese, curing meats, infusing liqueurs, and even a few confections, plus recipes for finished dishes so you can savor each treasured jar all year long. 

PRAISE and REVIEWS

"Canned Tomatoes and So Much More"

The New York Times

"Marchetti elevates preserved food from the role of condiment to center stage." {review}

Publishers Weekly

"Books on preserving are many, but what makes this one a standout is its unique point of view." {review}

Fine Cooking

"Just when everyone thought all had been written about Italy's food, Domenica Marchetti brings us a collection of sweeping scope that teaches us how to make everything that can be put up, cured, or fermented. It is not every day that a cookbook comes along that is not only beautiful and evocative, but groundbreaking; Preserving Italy is such a book. Domenica is a terrific storyteller and a trustworthy guide to the marvels of the Italian pantry."

Julia della Croce, journalist and author of Italian Home Cooking

"Bellissima e deliziosa, this book should be in every home preserver's kitchen. Peppered with stories and profiles, it introduces the reader to the world of Italian preserved foods well beyond the classic giardiniera, with chapters devoted to preserves in vinegar and in oil, fruits like peaches spiked with grappa, and plenty more."

Cathy Barrow, author of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry

"Preserving Italy is now the book I recommend when asked about techniques like preserving in oil and how to make true mostardas. It should be a mandatory addition to preservation libraries everywhere."

Marisa McClellan, author of Food in Jars

"If you think 'preserve' is just another word for sweet fruit jam, think again. Domenica Marchetti explores the whole magnificent variety of traditional Italian preserves: a delicious plethora of jams and jellies, sausages and preserved meats (think pancetta and guanciale), sweet and tart drinks like limoncello and orzata, vinegar pickles, olive oil pickles--everything an Italian casalinga, like Marchetti's own grandmother, counts on to supply friends and family with an ongoing parade of delights. I can't wait to make sweet-and-sour peppers, then pile them on a crostino with some fresh mozzarella."

Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of Virgin Territory and, with daughter Sara, The Four Seasons of Pasta

"The produce of Italy is inspiring and delicious, but, sadly, seasonal ingredients come but once a year. Unless, of course, you have this book at hand. Domenica's engagingly informative book explores, explains, and celebrates the age-old art of preserving seasonal goodness for the entire year."

Elizabeth Minchilli, author of Eating Rome

For someone like me, who loves making jam and pickling, preserving seasonal vegetables in oil or experimenting with liqueurs, this book is not only loaded with ideas (that pickled vegetable pizza, yes please!) and techniques, but Domenica has done so much research in the topic that food nerds will really appreciate how technical she gets. And for anyone who has never done canning or jam-making or the like before, this is an excellent place to start. From simple strawberry jam to sweet and sour pickled onions and homemade limoncello, even homemade primo latte (a fresh cheese), Domenica guides you through these classic Italian traditions with precision and ease. {read post}

Emiko Davies, author of Florentine, Acquacotta and Tortellini at Midnight