I used to think that there was some sort of mystical method to making preserves and bottling produce. Lurking in my subconscious were such scary words as ‘botulism’ and, possibly worse after all the hard work you had put in, the phrase ‘it went mouldy’.
However, after being sent into one of my neighbour’s cantinas (store room) to fetch a jar of preserved melanzane I became an immediate convert. It was late autumn and the place was packed from cotto-tiled floor to chestnut-beamed ceiling with jars of… stuff. It was like finding a treasure trove. This family were certainly not going to starve during the winter. Monica had preserved just about everything: either pickled, under oil, made into pastes, or dried. I suddenly felt my lack of ability in the preserving department as equal to not having a pension, or not being able to keep my family warm. I asked Monica how she learned to do all this and the reply was the same one I get almost every time from my Italian friends: ‘My Nonna taught me.’ Lacking an Italian nonna (grandmother), I asked Monica to help, which she delighted in doing because, quite simply, it was all so easy to do…
• The kitchen gardener very often produces more than it is possible for the family to eat fresh. The answer to this is to either freeze the surplus (although not every vegetable freezes well) or learn the traditional methods of storing foodstuffs for consumption later on in the year.
• In Italy crops such as tomatoes are grown in profusion just so they can be turned into passata to keep the kitchen going through winter.
• It’s worth remembering that all preserved fruit and vegetables lose a considerable amount of vitamins during the process and storage so it always makes sense to eat things straight out of the garden if possible, but when you have a glut you need to know what to do with it.
• The secret of all preserves is to kill any dodgy bacteria that might have been living on the fruit or vegetables, to kill any pathogens that might be lurking in the jars and to make sure that the containers are sealed properly so that nothing nasty can get in during storage. Follow these rules and you will be perfectly safe eating your preserved produce.
You can sterilize jars and their lids by boiling them in a large pan for 15 minutes. Make sure they are sterilized just before using and dry them thoroughly before use with a clean towel. Rcipes use 500g (1lb 2oz) jars.
Chutney is fruit and/or vegetables cooked, flavoured with spices and preserved in vinegar. It is not particularly Italian, there isn’t even a word for it in Italian, but I have developed a recipe that should be in every Italian cookbook!
The wonderful thing about chutney is that you can add pretty much whatever you have ripe in the garden in almost any combination and it will taste great.
I use chutney with cheese, meat and to flavour winter stews.
1kg (21⁄4lb) tomatoes
4 medium onions, peeled and finely diced
500g (1lb 2oz) courgettes, finely diced
500g (1lb 2oz) apples, cored and fincely diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
500ml (18fl oz) water
150g (5oz) brown sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
500ml (18fl oz) red wine vinegar
500ml (18fl oz) balsamic vinegar
These ingredients are an example only – with chutney you can put just about anything in.
Sterilize your jars (see previous section).
Mince the tomatoes (you can peel them if you want but I never bother) and place in a large steel pan (don’t use copper or brass – it’ll corrode). Add the onions, courgettes, apples and garlic and pour in the water. Cover and cook very slowly, stirring regularly, until all the ingredients are soft. Don’t worry if it starts going a bit mushy – this is what you are aiming for. Don’t add more water unless it’s completely dry and threatening to stick.
When the water is all gone and your vegetables are soft (normally about 20 minutes) add the sugar, seasoning and spices. Then add the vinegar. You need to use about ½ wine to ½ balsamic vinegar and you only need to use sufficient vinegar to just cover the ingredients in the pan.
Simmer gently, stirring continuously at the point the chutney starts to thicken. It is ready when you pull your spoon along the bottom of the pan and you see a trail of metal behind it – ie the water has been reduced off and there is no more spare liquid.
Spoon immediately into the sterilized jars. Make sure there is a space between the lid and the chutney, as the acid in the vinegar can corrode metal lids. Screw on the lid as tightly as you can and leave to cool.
Chutney made like this should store for well over a year.
No Italian antipasti misti is replete without giardiniera – pickled garden vegetables.
1 litre (13⁄4 pints) white wine vinegar with some extra just in case
2 bay leaves
2–3 cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp salt
1 small cauliflower
250g (9oz) button onions, peeled and soaked in cold water for 1 hour
250g (9oz) carrots, peeled
250g (9oz) white celery, stripped of filaments
100g (31⁄2oz) green beans
100g (31⁄2oz) artichoke hearts
100g (31⁄2oz) peppers, seeded
You can use pretty much whatever vegetables you have available but the following work well.
Sterilize your containers and lids.
Boil the vinegar with the herbs, spices and salt. While it’s heating, separate the cauliflower florets into small pieces, cut the carrots and celery into sticks, cut the beans, artichoke hearts and peppers into bite-sized pieces. When the vinegar comes to a boil, add the vegetables and cook them for about 15 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the jars and pour the boiling hot vinegar over them; have more boiling vinegar at hand, as sometimes you need more to top up the jars. Make sure that they are not over-filled, as the vinegar can corrode the lids.
Screw the lids on tightly and let them cool. Store them in a cool dark place for a couple of weeks, and they’re ready for use. They will keep for at least a year.
This method of preserving works best for high-acid foods such as tomatoes but you need to be careful with any other type of veggie because botulism can occur in low-acid vegetables, even if they are preserved under oil. The safest thing is to store in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks. Use the oil for cooking.
1 bunch each of fresh thyme and oregano, minced
1 litre (13⁄4 pints) olive oil
1 aubergine, cut into thin slices
1 large courgette, cut into thin slices
1 pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices
3 sun-blush tomatoes
salt
Sterilize your jars. Preheat the grill.
Add the minced herbs to the oil. Using a pastry brush, brush the vegetables lightly with the oil mixture and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on each.
Grill the vegetables until browned on both sides.
Whilst still hot, pack the sliced vegetables into the jars, adding a little oil after each layer. Seal well and store in the refrigerator.
Passata is simply tomato paste. Traditionally it is made in the fields in late summer when most of the tomatoes are ripe. Usually the nonni (grandparents) prepared and cooked the passata in great big pans over a campfire whilst the rest of the family carried on picking.
You can add ingredients to your passata such as herbs or onions and garlic. The only thing you will never find in passata is oil.
Passata rustica is made with the seeds and skin left in. Otherwise you need a tomato mill that grinds the fruit and spits out the seeds and skins separately. Even though I’ve used one and fed the leftover bits to the chickens, I still feel it’s a waste – passata rustica tastes exactly the same and has more body to it.
tomatoes (any sort but plum are traditional)
1 tsp salt for each 1kg (21⁄4lb) of tomatoes
Sterilize your jars.
Either mill or dice the tomatoes. Place in a large pan with no lid (at this point add other diced ingredients if so desired). Heat gently to a simmer and cook for 2–3 hours. The time depends on how watery your tomatoes are and how thick and concentrated you like your passata. Stir occasionally and make sure in the later stages that the passata does not stick and burn. Add the salt to taste.
Use a large funnel and soup ladle to fill your jars. Secure the lids tightly and store for up to one year.
Sundrying is a classic Italian way of preserving fruit, including the famous sundried tomatoes.
In cooler climates there is normally not enough sun and too much humidity to sundry. However, there are other ways to dry your surplus crop.
tomatoes
salt
chopped herbs
Put your oven on the lowest setting possible. Halve the tomatoes and remove the pips with a spoon. Place on a rack, inside facing upwards, and sprinkle with a little salt and the herbs to taste.
Place in the oven for about 2 hours or until they look dry.
Once they are cold, store in an airtight container and eat within two weeks, or put under oil (sotto olio), traditionally with some capers in there too and save for around one month in the fridge.
As you would expect, Italian country proverbs are down to earth and full of sensible advice. The following are gleaned from my ‘contadini’ (peasant farmer) neighbours who love nothing more than to quote incomprehensible phrases at me to test my understanding of the language and the land.
If it rains on San Gorgonio day (9 September) the weather in October is going to be terrible
Even the queen needs her neighbours
A rainy October means a prosperous field
Feast on goose, chestnuts and wine for San Martino (25 November)
‘Put on the cockerel’s comb’ – take charge
Spend Christmas with your family and Easter with whoever you prefer
L’ultimo vestito ce lo fanno senza tasche
Your last clothing is made without pockets – you can take nothing with you when you die.
Non avere neanche gli occhi per piangere
So poor, you don’t even have eyes to cry with.
Per San Valentino, primavera sta vicino
At Saint Valentine’s Day (14 February) spring is very close.
Albero che non fa frutta, taglia taglia
If a person/plant isn’t being productive, get rid of them.
Dov’ entra il sole non entra il dottore
Where there is sunshine there is little need for doctors.
Giugnio freddo, contadin dolente
A cold June makes pained peasants.
In Luglio e ricca la terra, ma povero il mare
In June there is plenty of produce from the land but not much from the sea.
Se piove in Agosto piove olio, miele e mosto
If it rains in August it means the oil, honey and grape harvest will be abundant.
Pensare e molto lontano dall’essere
Thinking it is a long way from doing it.
Avanti Natale ne freddo ne fame
Before Christmas you are never cold and never hungry.
Chi vuole un buon erbaio, semina in Febbraio
If you want a good herb garden, plant the seeds in February.
Aprile poiovoso, Maggio ventoso, anno fruttuoso
Rainy April, windy May, fruitful year.
Maggio ventoso, grano generoso
Windy May, good grain harvest.
Aprile carciofaio, Maggio ciliegiaio
April artichoke harvest, May cherry harvest.
Corvi con corvi non si cavano gli occhi
Crows don’t peck other crows’ eyes out – there’s safety with people like yourself.
