Sott'Oli & Sotto Aceti: Capturing Summer for the Winter Months
In the days before refrigeration, the summer months were perhaps the busiest time of the year for Italian cooks, especially those with access to a garden: Throughout the land people broke out the canning jars and set to work, selecting, peeling, and slicing the various vegetables and fruit as they reached optimum ripeness, cooking them if need be, packing the jars, filling them with oil, vinegar, or syrup, and sterilizing them before they packed them off in the pantry to await the winter months, when the selection of fresh fruit and vegetables was greatly reduced.
Now, of course, refrigeration, commercial cold storage, and long distance shipping have greatly increased the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables, many of which are no longer seasonal but rather sold year round. There is therefore less need for preserving summer's bounty, on the one hand, and on the other, just about everything one could ask for is pickled or packed in oil commercially. This doesn't mean that Italians have stopped making sottoli and sotto aceti, however: Those who have vegetable gardens must still preserve what they do not consume or give away, and many people find the less expensive commercially produced pickles, which are made to appeal to as broad a consumer base as possible and therefore omit some herbs and spices, insipid enough that they would rather make their own. There's a quiet satisfaction to the process, one can tailor the recipes to suit one's tastes, and they also make excellent gifts.
A couple of words on Sottoli and Sotto Aceti before we begin: Though Italians often mention them in the same breath, and both figure prominently in the classic platter of antipasti that begin many an Italian meal, they are quite distinct.
- Sotto Aceti are vegetables that have been pickled in vinegar, whose acidity keeps the food from spoiling. Italians generally use wine vinegar, though apple vinegar will also work, as will flavored vinegars, which will give your sotto aceti an extra touch. When selecting vinegar for pickling, make certain it's fairly strong, especially if you plan to pickle vegetables that have high moisture contents.
- Sottoli are vegetables packed in olive oil, and require much more care in preparation than do sotto aceti, because oil is not a preservative; it prevents spoilage merely by isolating the vegetables from the air. This means that the vegetables must be fully cooked (often in vinegar, whose acidity acts as a disinfectant) and transferred immediately to a sterile jar, which must be filled immediately, and tapped briskly so as to dislodge all the air bubbles. Do not pack anything raw in oil, because raw vegetables can harbor bacteria on their surfaces even if they have been well washed, and some of these bacteria can do quite well in the anaerobic (i.e. airless) environment of a sottolio jar. In particular, garlic has been known to harbor the bacteria that cause botulism. Therefore, when you open a jar of sottoli, be careful. If the lid is domed up, and there's a whisper of air escaping the jar, discard it, because it might not be safe.
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
First of all, the vegetables that you have decided to decided to pickle or pack in oil, which should be ripe and blemish free. Wash them well to remove all traces of dirt, working quickly if the vegetables are the sort that will absorb moisture (mushrooms, for example). Pat them dry when you're done washing them.
Broad mouthed canning jars; if they are of the sort that has a glass lid held down by a metal clip, make certain the gaskets are in good order. If you are instead using canning jars with screw cap lids, check the lids and purchase new ones if need be. While one can find canning jars ranging from tiny to huge, the best sizes for home canning are 1 and 2 cup (250 to 500 ml), because once a jar has been opened its contents won't keep for long. You will probably also want the little plastic grates that go under the lids of the jar and press down on the contents to keep them submerged. Though these grates are handy they're not absolutely necessary; what's important is that you not overpack the jars with the vegetables, and in all cases fill them to the brim with oil or vinegar.
A sterilizer (if the recipe calls for it), which is simply a large pot with a rack that will allow you to boil the jars of what you are making without their coming into contact with either the walls or the floor of the pot.
A pot for cooking the vegetables. It should conduct heat well, be large enough to hold your vegetables comfortably, and should be made of a material that doesn't react with vinegar or other acids. Stainless steel is probably best.
ENOUGH TALK! SOME RECIPES
Brovada
Pickled turnips, a dish one would associate with Northern Europe but is actually from Friuli.
Capuzi Garbi
Sauerkraut may be associated with Germany, but it's popular in Friuli Venezia Giulia too. How to prepare it if you have it, and how to start from scratch if need be.
Carciofi Sott'Olio
Artichokes packed in oil are tasty antipasti, and an excellent side dish too.
Cipolline Sotto Aceto
Pickled onions: a perfect antipasto, especially when it's hot.
Giardiniera
A medley of pickled vegetables: one of the classic elements of an Antipasto Misto
Mostarda
A classic hot and spicy condiment made with fruit -- background and several recipes.
Pickled Eggplant
A recipe from Anne's grandmother, Josephine Caravetta.
Sott'Oli
The simplest of antipasti: Vegetables pickled and packed in oil.
Peperoni Sotto Aceto
Pickled bell peppers are tasty as an antipasto or with bland foods.
Peperoncini al Tonno
Tiny round hot peppers stuffed with tuna fish: They're addictive!
Pimmaduori Siccati
Zesty sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, Calabrian style.
A presto,
Kyle Phillips
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