Recipe: Vino Cotto

Tom, here is a recipe for Vino Cotto from "Great Italian Desserts" by Nick
Malgieri, however, this is just for the sauce as I can't help with
the cookie part.

Vino Cotto (Cooked Wine)

An important ingredient in many southern Italian pastries and desserts, vino
cotto is a type of preserve made from wine, grape juice, or even figs or prunes.
Sometimes referred to as mosto cotto, the preserve may also be made from must,
the freshly pressed juice of grapes drained off before the fermentation that
would turn it into wine begins. The terms are used interchangeably, though, and
whether made from wine or must, the preserve is commonly known as vino cotto.

Vino cotto is usually made during the vendemmia, or grape harvest season, when
the must is plentiful, and it is a simple matter for Italians to acquire a few
gallons of the freshly pressed grape juice. If you know someone who makes wine,
by all means use the actual must. If not, this recipe suggest appropriate substitutes. Or try the next recipe, which uses bottled wine as a substitute
for the must.

In Calabria and Sicily, it is customary to flavor the vino cotto with orange
zest, cinnamon, and clove. If you wish to flavor it, add the finely grated
zest of 2 oranges, 2 cinnamon sticks, each about 3" long, and 2 whole cloves
after 30 minutes of cooking. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer before
bottling.

If using the must, place in an 8 quart enameled iron or stainless steel
casserole.

If using the grapes, strip them from the stems, rinse them quickly, and drain.
Place the grapes, in batches, in a stainless steel colander set over a large
bowl and crush them coarsely, squeezing with your hands and allowing the juice
to drain into the bowl. Reserve the squeezed grape skins. After crushing all
the grapes, run the reserved skins through a food mill fitted with the finest
blade, letting their juice drain into the bowl with the other juice. Pour all
the juice into an 8 quart enameled iron or stainless steel casserole.

Bring the must or grape juice to a boil over medium heat and lower to a simmer.
The must will foam a great deal while it is simmering. Be careful that it does
not boil over. Cook the must for about 1 hour, stirring often, until it is thick and syrupy and reduced to about 1 quart. Cool the vino cotto, pour it into a clean glass jar or bottle, cover, and store in refrigerator. The vino
cotto will keep indefinitely.

Ingredients: 4 quarts must of red muscat grapes, or 6 to 7 lbs. red muscat
grapes, or 4 quarts unsweetened muscat grape juice, available in
health food stores.

Makes about 1 quart.

Vino Cotto with Bottled Wine

1 gallon red jug wine
2 1/2 cups sugar

If you manage to find a fairly sweet wine for this, leave out the sugar; the
flavor will be deeper and less sugary.

Combine the wine and sugar in an 8 quart enameled or stainless steel casserole
and cook as in the previous recipe.

Hope your friend will enjoy!