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ITALIAN RECIPES

We're in the Midst Of Fruit Season...

Fig and Grape Mustard

Ingredients:

4 1/2 pounds ripe green figs
4 1/2 pound white, still sour (unripe) grapes
2 ounces powdered mustard
White wine
Candied citron, minced
A fine muslin bag
Enough sterile canning jars to hold the mustard

Preparation:

Crush the grapes, and squeeze them well in a muslin bag to extract all their juice.
Let the juice ferment at room temperature for two days (the yeasts present on the skins of the grapes will be sufficient to start the fermentation).

Once the juice has fermented, wash the figs, without peeling them, cut them into wedges, put them in a steel pot, and add just enough wine to cover.
Simmer the figs until the wine has evaporated, stirring them every now and then, taking care not to break the wedges.

Remove about a third of the figs from the pot, add the fermented grape juice to the pot, and continue cooking, stirring frequently. When the liquid has evaporated, dissolve the mustard in a half cup of hot wine and stir it in.
Line the sides of the canning jars with the removed figs, and fill the jars with the mustard, laying the candied citron between the layers of mustard.
Seal the jars and store them in a cool dark place for 4-5 months. Preparation time, about 2 hours.

Mostarda Mantovana

Ingredients:

1 1/3 pounds (600 g) tart apples
1 1/3 pounds (600 g) tart pears
1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) sugar
3 to 6 drops of mustard essence per pound (500 g) of mostarda obtained

Preparation:

Peel and core the fruit, then slice it finely and put it in a bowl, sprinkling sugar over the slices as you go. Cover the fruit with the remaining sugar and let it macerate for 48 hours, covered, in a cool dark place. At the end of this interval you'll find a syrup in the bottom of the bowl.

Transfer the syrup to a pot, bring it to a bowl for a couple of minutes, then pour it back over the fruit. Let the fruit rest 24 hours more, repeat the process, and then do so again the day after.

The day after the final boiling of the syrup, transfer everything to a pot and simmer the mixture gently to drive off most of the liquid. When it has thickened, let it cool, stir in the mustard essence, and transfer it to sterile jars. It's perfect with boiled meats.

Conserva Antica - Drunken Fruit

Ingredients:

5 1/2 pounds (2.5 k) mixed fruit, for example raspberries, cherries, blueberries,
apricots, pears, plums, peaches, and whatever else strikes your fancy
2 1/4 pounds (1 k, or about 4 cups) sugar
2 quarts (liters) aquavit (what you prefer, e.g. brandy, cognac, rum, good vodka, grappa, etc.)
3/5 cup (150 ml) water

Preparation:

Wash the fruit and pat it dry; pit the fruit with pits, peel the peaches, and core the pears. Cut all the pieces of fruit in half, and layer the fruit in a wide-mouthed jar.
Add the aquavit. Seal the jar, give it a good shake, and put it in a cool dark place for a week. When the week is up, make a syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil.
Let it cool and add it to the fruit. Mix well, reseal the jar, and let it rest in a cool dark place for a month before enjoying it.

The fruit will be nice served over ice cream, or with cream, and will also come in handy for decorating cakes and puddings.
The syrup, on the other hand, will be a tasty fruit liqueur.

Lamponino - Raspberry Liqueur

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds (600 g) raspberries
15 cherry leaves
2 1/4 cups (500 g) sugar
The zest of a half a lemon, cut into small strips
1 quart (1 liter) grain alcohol

Preparation:

Macerate all the ingredients in a clear gas jar, setting the jar where it will be warmed by the sun, shaking it a couple of times per day. After a month, transfer the jar to a cool dark place and let it rest for 5 more months. Then strain, filter and bottle your liqueur.
You can also make this with currants, though you should omit the cherry leaves, or blackberries.

Apple Marmalade

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds (1 k) apples -- see below for kinds
2 pounds (900 g) sugar

Preparation:

In Italy the preferred kind of apples for making marmalade is the renettes (mela renetta), which are slightly grainy, wrinkled, and tasty. In short, perfect for cooking but not so pretty at the table.
Core the apples and cook them in a little water, skins and all. When they are done (a skewer will penetrate easily) pat them dry and put them through a food mill.

Weigh the apple butter thus obtained and add to it 4/5 of its weight in sugar (0.8 pounds sugar per pound apples). Put the mixture in a pot, bring it to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.

Then transfer the marmalade to sterile glass jars.
When the jars have cooled cover the marmalade with a thin layer of wax, screw the tops onto the jars, and store them in a cool dark place.

Blueberry-Blackberry Jam

Ingredients:

1 1/8 pounds (500 g) blueberries
1 1/8 pounds (500 g) blackberries
The juice of a lemon
1 2/3 pound (750 g, or about 3 1/8 cups) sugar

Preparation:

Wash the fruit, drain it, and put it in a bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice and the sugar over it, and let it rest for 24 hours.
When it has rested, transfer it to a pot and simmer it over a gentle flame until a drop of jam on an inclined plate doesn't run. Transfer the jam into sterile jars, seal them, sterilize them, and put them in your pantry when they have cooled.

Green Tomato Apple and Grape Relish

Ingredients:

7/8 pound (400 g) green tomatoes
1/3 pound (300 g) sweet apples
1/3 pound (300 g) white grapes
The juice of a lemon
A packet of pectin sufficient for this weight of fruit
About 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) sugar

Preparation:

Wash the fruit. Seed and chop the tomatoes. Grate the apples, and put the grapes through a food mill. Combine everything with the juice of the lemon and the pectin in a high-sided pot.

Cook, stirring the mixture lest it scorch, until it comes to a boil; boil it for one minute, slowly add the sugar and continue cooking, stirring; when the jam returns to a boil cook it for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove the pot from the fire and stir for a minute, or until the foam is reabsorbed.
Check the consistency of the jam (a drop on an inclined plate should run slowly) and transfer it into sterile jars.
Cap them, and stand them upside down for 5 minutes. Check the seals by tapping the lids with a knife blade (they should ring), and store the jam in a cool dark place.

Buon appetito!

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