Want to hold on to summer a little longer? How about for months longer? Us too. Cooking teacher and author Domenica Marchetti knows how to make summer’s bounty last—and how to make it last the Italian way. In her latest book, Preserving Italy, Domenica, the author of (now) seven books on Italian cooking, teaches you how to can, infuse, and bottle Italian flavors and traditions. In fact, the book was born out of Domenica’s desire to recreate her grandmother’s liquor-soaked sour cherries. What a delicious legacy.
Looking for recipes to help us bridge the seasons, we found Domenica’s book filled with jams, pickles, sauces, and dishes and desserts we want to eat NOW and later. We were treated by Chris Prosperi to her Blue Cheese Burgers with Tropea Onion Jam and every bite was perfect. Think: big, meaty burgers stuffed with Gorgonzola and topped with warm/holiday-spiced sweet onions. I kept going back to the bowl of onions to be sure every bite of burger had an equal portion of the sweet-savory jam unlike any savory jam I’ve ever had. Red wine, cloves, and vanilla are among the ingredients. We had the burgers for our pre-show meal and I’ve made them twice since. (My husband loves them too).
Domenica’s Oil-Preserved Butternut Squash with Mint stood out to us too. They look beautiful in a jar and on the plate. You can jar these this fall and gift them this winter.
But prepare her Peaches in Grappa-Spiked Syrup now while you still might find some decent peaches in the markets. This recipe was Faith’s favorite. Domenica says they’re like our bourbon peaches, but prettier. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (topped with some grappa syrup, of course) is just about the best way we can imagine to remember summer long after its past.
To learn more about Domenica, her books, or to see more of her Italian recipes, visit her inspiring blog Domenica Cooks.
— Robyn Doyon-Aitken
Senior Producer
