Tag: jar

The stories in a jar by chef Luca Marchini – Italian Cuisine

Imagination and new ideas to decline an undisputed flair: Luca Marchini, chef patron of the Ristorante L’Erba del Re in Modena, never stops and launches a new project, a virtual gourmet shop dedicated to the world of preserves – and beyond.

"It is a new challenge – explains Luca Marchini – the will to talk to people through my kitchen in a different way, no longer just at the restaurant but arriving directly in their homes and becoming part of a family daily life that has become even more important today after the months we have all gone through. I had been thinking about this project for some time, but this last period has made everything even more concrete and stimulating. I consider it as a further business evolution, the structured differentiation of the activities and the creation of a virtuous productive circle where everything we do is prepared by us. Nothing comes from the outside, if not the raw materials we process".

"Once upon a time, and there always will be, quality raw materials …". Luca Marchini interprets and offers tradition and genuine flavors, real greedy stories closed in jars to give the palate a quality experience – exceptional and simple at the same time. The packages are the excellent result of a long and careful work, carried out scrupulously by the chef and his staff in order to obtain high quality products, which are handcrafted in a dedicated laboratory of the L'Erba del Re restaurant, fully certified from laboratory analysis and prepared with excellent raw materials, the same used in the restaurant. There are many delicacies designed to be savored in combination with meat and fish, or to dip into the greedy spoon.

Recipes of the Emilian gastronomic culture made and packaged, alongside selected products from other Italian regions. The scent of vegetables emanates from the elegant jars, the character of the meat and the delicacy of the fish can be perceived, the excellent processing of pickles and pickles is touched: "Da RE" is more than an online shop, it is a world of explore, made of different textures and emotions declined in elegant jars of different colors and sizes. High quality and great comfort signed by Luca Marchini, immediately ready to taste.

The collection of incredible ready-to-savor flavors is enriched by the fragrant leavened products of the author and the gastronomic Panettone, the result of the great experience of the L'Erba del Re laboratory, the same dedicated to catering preparations, bread making and pastry.

WHERE TO FIND BOTTEGA "DA RE" PRODUCTS
“Da RE” specialties, preserves and leavened products are available on the shop www.bottegadare.it.

Francesca Tagliabue

October 2020

Preserved in jar: 10 rules to make them perfect – Italian Cuisine

The homemade tomato puree is its queen, sovereign of a boundless kingdom whose subjects range from the delicious chutneys to the traditional fruit jams (the jams, however, are not all the same …). Preparing the preserves is a source of immediate and prolonged satisfactions. Of course, you have to keep an eye on the Botox risk, otherwise the door to the Conserve kingdom is open. Where is the entrance? From fruit or vegetables fresh and of quality, with few tools jars and some important foresight.

1) Choose the ingredient-base always in season and preferably bio (or better yet, biodynamic); if you use fruit, prefer it well ripe, when it is more juicy and sweet (in this month, plums, grapes, figs, but also peaches, apples and pears); discard the first fruits, less tasty and more expensive. Fruit and vegetables should always be washed, even if they are peeled.

2) The equipment necessary is limited and you probably have it: a wide and deep steel saucepan, a wooden spoon, a kitchen scale, a small ladle, a graduated carafe. You could also use a colander and a funnel.

3) I glass jars they must be new or in excellent condition, with a wide mouth and an airtight screw cap: they are cheap, easy to find and in various sizes. Better to use the medium ones (250 g) so that, once opened, they can be finished in a short time.

4) Jars e covers they must be very clean and dry: wash them yourself in the dishwasher at maximum temperature. If the filling is done with cold products, this is sufficient. Otherwise, better proceed to 'sterilization', or more correctly 'Sanitizing', of jars & lids: dip them in a pot of cold water and boil them for about 10 minutes. In order not to make the sanitation vain, after the treatment the containers must be left
immersed in the water until they are filled.

5) Cooking times jams and chutneys can vary by a few minutes compared to the recipe you have chosen, because ripe fruit is often more watery. In this case, to get the right consistency, you can add a peeled and diced apple: the apples, in fact, contain pectin, substance with the thickening effect.

6) Fill the jars leaving 1 cm of free space from the edge (used to form a vacuum during cooling). It is important not to leave residues on the edges, especially on the outside. If smudges remain, clean well with dampened kitchen paper and dry before screwing the capsule.

7) If the preserve that you are cooking is hot (as in the case of jams, compotes and chutneys), at this point turn the jars upside down and wait for them to cool completely. Then, turn them and controlled that the vacuum has formed: the capsule must be perfectly flat or curved inwards.

8) For jams with little sugar and some preserves, one is mandatory home pasteurization. After filling and closing the jars well, place them in a saucepan lined with a clean cloth, wrap them with other cloths to prevent them from breaking and cover them with warm water whose level must overcome them of a few centimeters. Calculate the time from boiling: iThe time required depends on the type of preserves, the type of container and its size (about 20 minutes for 250 g jars, however follow the times indicated by the recipe) and let them cool in the water. After 12-24 hours, inspect again that the lid is lowered to the center, pressing it lightly (you should hear a click-clak for the metal caps): it is the sign that it is formed the vacuum pack.

9) At this point the preserve is ready: all that remains is to attack youlabel to write the name of your creation, but above all useful to remember the preparation date and then check the deadline (usually 10-12 months). Store the jars in a dry and cool place. away from light and heat sources.

10) Check once in a while if it has formed on the surface mold or if the lid has swollen: in this case, do not hesitate to throw everything away. Once the jar is open, keep it in the refrigerator and consume it within a few days.

Paola Mancuso
September 2016
updated in September 2019
by Carola Traverso Saibante

DISCOVER THE COOKING COURSES OF SALT & PEPE

The good from the vegetable garden jar: the preserves of August – Italian Cuisine

Peppers, aubergines, courgettes and then all the fruit like melons, figs, plums. In short, there are many preserves in August that can be prepared at home to enjoy the best of summer all year round

These last days of August are the time to make you a precious gift: fruit and vegetable preserves, which will make you savor the taste of summer even when temperatures do not reach 15 °. Everything is now at its best: the aromas, the textures, the colors of peaches, plums, melons, figs, aubergines, and then again peppers, courgettes, tomatoes. Whatever the preserve you want to prepare, you are sure that the raw material is the best that you can find.

The best vegetables and fruit

To prepare preserves of August As a rule of art you will have to get perfect fruits and vegetables, which have reached full maturity, without any dents and from the skin and from the firm and compact pulp. For vegetables, follow some suggestions, to get the most delicious result possible. If you want to use aubergines, remember to lose them the water leaving them sliced in a colander with coarse salt for at least 30 minutes. If you prefer zucchini, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the part where there are seeds: you will avoid the risk of a tending taste bitterish. Do the same thing if you use cucumbers. If you are lovers of pepperoni, remember to do them toast in the grill of the oven for 40 minutes so that they can be peeled effortlessly. In this way they will be more digestible for everyone.

Aubergine, courgette and pepper pickles

What's better than a mix of vegetables in oil to accompany meat dishes, delicate cheeses or to prepare an intriguing appetizer with croutons covered with vegetables and garnished with an anchovy fillet? To achieve this preserve get yourself a courgette, an aubergine, a yellow pepper. Wash and clean the vegetables, removing the internal seeds of the courgette, the white filaments and the skin of the pepper. Slice the aubergine and put it in a colander with coarse salt and leave it for an hour, so that it loses water. Then rinse it and cut it into cubes, together with the pepper and courgette. In a large pot, boil water with half a liter of white wine vinegar and a teaspoon of coarse salt. Blanch all the vegetables for 5 minutes and then drain with the help of a slotted spoon. Fill the sterilized jars with vegetables, add some basil leaves and two cloves of garlic, mash well e filled up to 1 cm from the edge with extra virgin olive oil. Close with the caps, place the jars in a pan full of water, bring to the boil and sterilize for 30 minutes. Check that the vacuum has formed and then place the preserves in a cool, dry place. Let it sit for a month before tasting.

summer preserves

Dried tomatoes in oil

Prepare this preserve and you will become addicted to it for the rest of your days! Dried cherry tomatoes in oil are a real treat, to eat at any time of the day, alone, with crunchy bread or as a sauce for a delicious pasta. What you have to do is get some cherry tomatoes or datterini tomatoes, as you prefer, wash them and cut them in half. You then dispose each half with the side cut upwards on a covered baking sheet, sprinkle each tomato with a pinch of salt and one of sugar, add a few leaves of oregano, garlic cloves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bake for three hours at 100 ° and when they are dry, place them in already sterilized jars, cover them with raw oil up to 1 cm from the edge, add a few basil leaves and close the jars with the caps. Put them in a large pot full of water, cook for about 30 minutes from the boil and then check that the vacuum has formed. Let the tomatoes season for a month before consuming them. Once opened, they are kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Red onion chutney

This preserve is perfect to accompany aged cheeses, white meats or simply to prepare delicious croutons to serve as finger food. Take a pound of red tropea onions, peel them and slice them thinly. Put them to fry a little at a time in a pan with extra virgin olive oil and when they are golden, add 100 g of cane sugar. Mix well and then add 200 ml of apple vinegar and two bay leaves. Blend the vinegar and then add two tablespoons of mustard to the ancienne. Mix well and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. A few minutes before turning off, add to the onions 50 g of raisins soaked and squeezed. Turn off, let stand a few minutes and then pour the compote into previously sterilized glass jars. Close each can and turn it upside down. Let it all cool down and then check that the vacuum has formed. Once opened, it should be consumed in three or four days.

Melon and ginger jam

Excellent spread on toasted bread for breakfast in the morning, this jam is also perfect on the table to accompany semi-seasoned or fresh cheeses. It is prepared with the white-fleshed melon, with a taste so sweet to remember honey. First, slice and clean a 1 kg melon from the seeds, cut it into small pieces and place it in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon and pour it over the melon. Meanwhile grate a teaspoon of fresh ginger and add it to the bowl. Add 150 g of brown sugar, stir and leave rest a night in the fridge. The next day, pour the melon into a large pot and bring to the fire, cooking over a low heat until the melon pulp has melted. Mix well and then pour the contents into already sterilized glass jars. Fill them up to 1 cm from the edge and then close them. Turn them upside down and leave them until they have cooled. At this point, verify that it is formed the vacuum pack, otherwise put the jars in a pot full of water and boil them, separated by a cloth, for 30 minutes. Then place them in a cool place and let them rest for a month before eating them.

Fig, walnut and pine nut jam

Figs are among the most anticipated fruits of the summer. Why not prepare a jam so you can enjoy the sweetness of this fruit the rest of the year? Choose a kg of figs, both black and white, as you prefer. Rest assured that they are ripe to the right point, wash them, peel them and leave them to rest for an hour in a bowl with 100 g of brown sugar and the juice of a lemon. Then put the figs in a large saucepan, cook them for about two hours, or in any case until they have reached the consistency you prefer. Then turn off, add 500 g including shelled walnuts and pine nuts, mix and pour the contents into the already sterilized jars. Fill them up to 1 cm from the edge and then close with the caps. Turn the jars over and wait for the vacuum to form. Once ready, the preserves should be left to rest for a month before consuming them. Once opened, they are kept in the fridge for three or four days. The fig, walnut and pine nut jam is perfect to accompany aged cheeses, to fill bread slices for breakfast, or to garnish hand-made tarts.

Mulberry jam

Have you ever tasted them? mulberries? They have a very special taste, which will remain imprinted on every taste bud. To make a jam with this fruit, get yourself a pound and a half. Rinse them, remove the stalk, place them with 300 g of cane sugar in a large bowl and sprinkle them with the juice of a lemon. Stir and let stand in the fridge for an hour. After pour everything into a saucepan, add one cinnamon stick, a few leaves of mint and cook for about an hour. Then decant the jam into the already sterilized jars, close them with the caps and turn them upside down to create the vacuum. Let them rest a month before opening them.