"Preserving Italy" Dinner at The Fourth Estate Restaurant

​Domenica Marchetti is not only a local Washington DC talent, but the author of seven cookbooks on Italian cooking, including Ciao Biscotti and The Glorious Vegetables of Italy, which was featured at a wine dinner at the Fourth Estate in January, 2014. Her articles and recipes have been featured in The Washington Post, Food & Wine, Fine Cooking and Cooking Light.

Domenica shares her passion for Italian cooking in 150 recipes dedicated to the ancient Mediterranean art of food preservation, which is still strong today among Italy’s families and agriturismo artisan producers. To “capture the flavors of Italy,” she offers traditional preservation techniques for canning, infusing, brining, bottling and making sausage and cheese, concluding each chapter with time-honored, family-inspired recipes for soups, meats, pizza, bread or sweet confections.

Along with a full chapter on tomato sauces, there are recipes for spiked jams, fruits preserved in alcohol, seasoned salts and vegetables in oil or vinegar. A citrusy mint syrup can be enjoyed in a vibrant cocktail or atop a chocolate chip cake [which is the dessert for this wine dinner]. Instruction in modern canning and preserving safety is addressed; family food memories are highlighted. In this “tribute to the many wonderful ways Italians put up food,” readers are invited to preserve seasonal produce on their pantry shelves. Preserved food is elevated from condiment to center stage. - Publisher’s Weekly, March, 2016

Wines pairings for the dinner will all be from the winery of Benoit Badoz, Jura, France. Domaine Badoz is located in the town of Poligny, in the heart of the Jura region. Its origins date back to 1659. Winemaker Benoit Badoz represents the 10th generation of vintners at their family domaine. Benoit cultivates his 10 hectares of vineyards in Poligny with the aim of maintaining a natural ecological balance; he plants grass in every other row, uses no chemical products, and plows the soil. These practices enhance the vineyard’s biodiversity and encourages a variety of yeasts on the grape skins; this enables Badoz to vinify with only native yeasts while also permitting the use of minimal levels of SO2. Domaine Badoz is featured in the finest restaurants in France and the United States.

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Hors d’oeuvres

Specialty Drink: Freshly squeezed blood orange juice/seltzer and vodka; or Jura wine: Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune, Domaine Badoz, Jura, France (2009)

• Crostini with Sweet and Sour Peppers and Fresh Mozzarella


• Baked olives and salami skewers


• Crostini with Spiced Tomato Jam and Ricotta



 
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Primi

Salad with: Pickled Beets and spring onions
Jura wine: Côtes du Jura Chardonnay, Domaine Badoz, Jura, France (2015)

Secondi

Zuppa di pasta e Fagioli
Jura wine: Crémant du Jura Rosé, Domaine Benoit Badoz, Jura, France (NV)

Intermezzo

Grapefruit with Campari, locally made sorbet

Entrée

Oven roasted Porchetta (using pork shoulder)

Using stylized Porchetta salt

Caponata

Grilled zucchini in oil
Jura wine: Trousseau, Domaine Badoz, Jura, France (2014)

Dessert

Gino’s Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Jura wine: Crémant du Jura Blanc Brut, Domaine Badoz, Jura, France (NV)