L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 2023 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano O ne morning I awoke to a fruity, musky scent that hung heavy in the air, floating out from the kitchen to all corners of the house. Ap- proaching the stove, I saw a crimson liquid bubbling, sticky bursts popping and clinging to the sides of the pan. It was a red wine and sugar reduction, an ad hoc vincotto, that my indus- trious mom was making in preparation for a batch of mostaccioli baresi, a spice cookie from Bari, in Apulia. The word flew through my mind, bringing me back to the old town in Bari, where women were on display in the street, hand-rolling pasta shapes like le orecchiette, w h i l e b a g s o f h o m e m a d e pastries including le cartel- late were set out for pur- chase in front of them. These little fritters are a Christ- m a s t i m e t r e a t , m e a n t t o r e s e m b l e t h e h a l o o v e r C h r i s t , a n d f i l l e d w i t h rivulets of the grape-must reduction. At the time, I had been too unsure of these to try them. It turns out that v i n c o t t o , m o s t o c o t t o , or sapa—the name depends on what region one is from— is an indispensable and trea- s u r e d p r o d u c t t h a t t a k e s time and care to make. Is it truly a secret ingredient? Well…not exactly. However, while widespread in some southern areas of Italy, it's less well-known throughout the rest of the country and abroad. But it adds another level of flavor to sweet and savory treats—it's worth get- ting familiar with. First of all, let's clarify the v o c a b u l a r y . A l t h o u g h m y mother's recipe called for h o m e c o o k s t o b o i l d o w n wine, true vincotto is not to be confused with wine at all. W h y ? I n A p u l i a a n d t h e Basilicata, the term vincotto a p p l i e s t o a s l o w - b o i l e d reduction of red or white grapes, or even figs, that is reduced to a thick syrup. No fermentation is involved, hence the liquid is non-alco- h o l i c . S o w h i l e t h e n a m e JESSICA S. LEVY ample doses of both olive oil and vincotto. Panvinesco is a Pugliese sweet polenta cook- ie made from a boiled mix- ture of vincotto and corn- meal. Chocolate chips can be added in, but it's the deep purple of the vincotto that g i v e s t h e s e c o o k i e s t h e i r earthy, dark-brown hue. I n A b r u z z o a n d L e Marche, vincotto goes by the m o r e l i t e r a l n a m e m o s t o cotto—boiled-down grape must. Abruzzo is renowned f o r i t s M o n t e p u l c i a n o grapes, and these are fre- quently used to make the syrupy liquid. The ingredient is used in several regional d i s h e s , b o t h s w e e t a n d savory. In Le Marche, just around the vendemmia, or grape harvest season, chil- dren might be fed an after- noon snack of ciambelle al mosto, sweet brioche-style buns made with the mosto that are often sliced in two a n d s p r e a d w i t h N u t e l l a . A n o t h e r l o c a l t r a d i t i o n i s s p a g h e t t i c o n m o s t o e n o c i , a m a i n p a s t a d i s h served with a pesto of mosto, walnuts, cheese, and extra- virgin olive oil. It would also b e c o m m o n t o f i n d p o r k m e d a l l i o n s s e r v e d p a i r e d with a mosto cotto sauce, the e a r t h y , s w e e t g r a p e t a s t e pairing well with the savory meat. Around Christmas, a traditional Abruzzese dessert s t a r t s t o a p p e a r i n l o c a l h o m e s . I c a g g i o n e t t i a r e thinly-wrapped and deep- fried sweet ravioli that are filled with either almonds, chestnuts, or even chickpeas a n d t h e n b l e n d e d w i t h mosto cotto, honey, choco- late, cinnamon, and other liqueurs like rum and Sam- buca. In Sardinia (and, coinci- dentally, Emilia Romagna), m o s t o c o t t o g o e s b y t h e name saba, or sapa. South- ern Sardinians celebrate the fall season by baking with saba in i papassini. These cookies are similar to Apu- lia's panvinesco, where sapa is cooked along with semoli- na flour to make a sort of polenta mixture, to which a r e t h e n a d d e d a l m o n d s , candied orange peel, dried fruit, and perhaps a touch of c i n n a m o n . P a n ' e s a b a i s S a r d i n i a ' s f a m o u s s w e e t bread made with saba. Using the same flavorings as in i papassini—a mix of nuts and s p i c e s , l i k e c l o v e s — t h i s m o s t o - r i c h b r e a d - c a k e i s eaten from the grape harvest season on through Christ- mas. Although the word will s h o w u p e r r o n e o u s l y i n many recipes, vino cotto, w h i l e n o t t o b e c o n f u s e d with vincotto, is actually a d e s s e r t w i n e . K n o w n f o r production in Abruzzo, vino c o t t o i s m a d e f r o m t h e mosto cotto which is then bottled, fermented, and aged for at least one, and up to thirty or forty years, after which time it is served as a sweet, alcoholic beverage. However, most recipes call for a mosto cotto, the syrupy fruit reduction, even if they c a l l i t v i n o c o t t o . B u t f o r those who don't have access t o a v i n e y a r d d u r i n g t h e grape harvest, or don't hap- pen to have a bottle of mosto o n - h a n d , d o i n g w h a t m y m o m d i d t h a t m o r n i n g — boiling down red wine with s o m e s u g a r — i s a w a y t o approximate the taste of vin- cotto, or mosto cotto in a cookie, quite possibly mak- ing it even tastier. No matter where it hails f r o m o r t h a t i t m i g h t b e c a l l e d a n y n u m b e r o f n a m e s — f r o m v i n c o t t o , mosto cotto, sapa, or saba— this thick, syrupy boiled- down grape or fruit condi- ment adds an undeniably delicious dimension to sweet and savory foods alike and deserves to be made known around the world. LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES "vincotto" appears to be a contraction of "vino cotto"— i t a c t u a l l y i s n ' t " c o o k e d wine" at all. No matter the name, vin- c o t t o a d d s a d e p t h o f umami-like flavor to sweets, especially those that cele- brate the autumnal holidays. Vincotto is used in several d o l c i p u g l i e s i , f r o m t h e aforementioned cartellate a nd mostaccioli, to the colva pugliese, a Day of the Dead dessert containing walnuts, pomegranate, grapes, and c h o c o l a t e . I p u p u r a t i pugliesi are another celebra- tory sweet prepared for All Saint's Day on November 1 s t , a t y p e o f c h o c o l a t e , a l m o n d a n d s p i c e r i n g - shaped cookie made with Cartellate with vincotto are a traditional treat popular around Christmas (Photo: Alessandro De Leo/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED Vincotto: Italy's seductive, secret ingredient

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