More and more, vegetables are finding their place at center stage, usurping meat as the star of the show. In The Glorious Vegetables of Italy, the latest cookbook from author Domenica Marchetti, veggies are celebrated in more than 100 beautiful recipes. Cooks of all levels will discover delicious traditional and innovative recipes from season to season, savory to sweet. Lovers of Italian cuisine will simply drool over this must-have collection of every day meals. Below is a recipe for a sweet and savory Crostini with Fontina and Tomato Marmalade, a just-right treat for the holiday season.

Crostini with Fontina and Tomato Marmalade

Courtesy of Domenica Marchetti, The Glorious Vegetables of Italy



It is a good feeling, in the middle of winter, to open the pantry and retrieve a jar of something lovely that you preserved the previous summer. It’s even better if that something is sweet and savory tomato marmalade which, when paired with pungent Fontina Val d’Aosta, makes a superb crostini topping.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

About 1/2 cup/115 g tomato marmalde (below)

1 thin baguette (ficelle), cut on the bias into thin slices

8 oz/227 g grated fontina Val D’Aosta cheese

Position an oven rack 4 in/10 cm from the broiler and turn the broiler on.

Spread the tomato marmalade on the ficelle slices and top each with a mound of shredded cheese. Arrange the slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Transfer the crostini to a platter and serve immediately.

Tomato Marmalade

This is the marmalade of my dreams—thick and shiny and gloriously red. It tastes of ripe late-summer tomatoes and bright lemon, and has a spicy kick from chile peppers, cloves, and fragrant bay leaves. I suppose it’s not technically a marmalade since it’s not citrus-based. But it does have lots of lemon peel and a consistency that resembles marmalade. Spread this on crostini and top with a sharp or pungent cheese. Or spread it on your favorite panino, on a smoked turkey and Cheddar cheese sandwich, or even a ham biscuit (that’s the Virginian in me talking).

Makes about 2½ pt / 1 L

5 lb/2.3 kg ripe plum tomatoes, washed

2 cups/400 g sugar

Zest and freshly squeezed juice of 2 large lemons, zest and cut into strips

1 - 2 tablespoons good-quality aged balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

8 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

2 fresh chile peppers, such as cayenne

Wash and then sterilize five 1⁄2-pt/240-ml glass jars and their lids by immersing them in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Trim the stem end off the tomatoes. With a vegetable peeler, slice the skin off the tomatoes in strips and discard. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and push out the seeds with your thumb (I do this over the sink). Cut the tomato halves in half again lengthwise, and then cut each quarter into 3 or 4 pieces. Toss the tomato pieces into a large heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan.

Put the sugar, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, salt, cloves, bay leaves, and chile peppers into the pot with the tomatoes. Set the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook at a fairly lively simmer for about 11⁄2 hours or until the marmalade is glossy and thick enough to spread. Be sure to stir often to prevent burning. When the marmalade is ready, remove the bay leaves and the cloves.

Spoon the marmalade into the sterilized jars, screw the lids on tightly, and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Or store the marmalade in the refrigerator