My favorite recipe for this time of year is chili. Nothing is better than a warm bowl of chili. I didn't grow up with American football, I grew up with the Campionati di Calcio (Italian Soccer Championship). When I arrived here, and saw my first bowl of chili at a friends superbowl party, I thought, "This is just ragu!" So, I made my own version, that is truly tuscan. And this year for the superbowl, we're selling it at the Salumeria.
I have included the recipe in this post below. We decided to serve the chili with some chopped red onions, a dollop of mascarpone. We also perched a piece of pancetta & sun dried tomato cornbread beside the chili. Don't get complicated with the cornbread, just use the recipe from the side of the box, and add your favorite toppings, like jalapenos, or onions or whatever you like.
Enjoy this recipe, its not just perfect for the Superbowl, but any time during the year!
Ingredients • 1 red onion, qrtrd. • 1 small carrot, chopped • 1 jalapeño, chopped • 1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped • 1/2 T. fresh sage, chopped • 2 stalks celery, chopped • 4 cloves garlic • 2 oz. pancetta • 8 strips bacon • 3 T. olive oil • 2 lbs. beef chuck or skirt steak, cut into 1-inch strips Salt and pepper to taste • 1 T. garam masala • 16 oz. can plum-tomato purée • 1/2 t. cumin • 1/2 t. fennel seed • 11/2 T. chili powder • 2 cups water • 1 small potato, cut into 1/-inch cubes • 1 cup brewed coffee • 5 cups beef broth • 2 cups red beans • 3/4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
For garnish: freshly grated Parmesan, 1 small white onion and 1 avocado, coarsely chopped
Steps Preheat oven to 400. Place onion, carrot, jalapeño, rosemary, sage, celery, garlic, and pancetta in a processor and chop. Place the bacon on a sheet pan and bake in oven until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove, dry with paper towels, and set aside. Add the olive oil to a large saucepan with the processed ingredients and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
1. In a large bowl, season the meat with salt and pepper and the garam masala. Add meat to saucepan and continue cooking for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato, cumin, fennel seed, chili powder, potato, and water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the coffee and 2 cups beef broth and cook for 20 minutes, stirring continuously. 2. Add beans and 1 cup broth and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chocolate and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Garnish with Parmesan, crumbled bacon, white onion, and avocado.
If you find yourself in Venice, Italy here are some great restaurant recommendations - places that I have eaten and know are delicious. Venice stretches across 118 small islands. Cichetti (chee-keht-tee) are small portions of food served in bars all over the city, usually with an ombra, which is a small glass of wine. Most Venetians eat cichetti, before lunch or before dinner, or in place of lunch or dinner. Venice cuisine is largely seafood-based and the most representative dish is fish risotto. The most impressive one is the risotto alle seppie with a bright black color that's a result of the cuttlefish being cooked in its own ink.
Now is one of the best times to visit Venice because the summers are hot and packed with tourists. So book a flight and make a reservation for some cichetti!
Vini da Gigio 011 39 041 528 5140 www.vinidagigio.com Cannaregio 3628- Venezia
Al Mascaron 011 39 041 522 5995 Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa Castello 5225
Al Covo 011 39 041 522 3812 Campiello della Pescaria Castello 3968 (cash only)
Acqua Pazza 011 39 041 277 0688 Campo S Angelo 3080
When Papa and Mama were growing up, the small town rivalries in and around Garfagnana, Mama’s village, and Monte San Quirico, Papa’s, were very intense. The locals fought about everything, from who had the best rabbits to who had the juiciest tomatoes. Occasionally, things got out of hand, especially before the Santa Croce agriculture fair. Once, I’m told, old Guido was lured away from his farm for an afternoon by a mysterious woman. When he returned, he discovered that his 600 pound prize winning boar had been just as mysteriously replaced with a 500 pound sow. Another time, Marco woke up to find his whole pumpkin crop uprooted. Even young kids could be mean-spirited in their rivalries. Papa tells me he and his friends used to ambush boys from other villages who came to San Quirico to far’ l’amore (what they called dating) with local girls. They pelted them with stones and rotten fruit until they turned back. I suppose you could say it was small-time chauvinism run amok, but I know the old-timers had fun.
By the time I got to be a teenager, the rivalries played themselves out in a less agrarian way, usually on a soccer field. The teams-there were twelve in our area- were sponsored by local bars, and the bars themselves doubled as commando centers. During the week we’d hold meetings, strategy, and practice sessions, then on Sunday afternoons, when everyone from the surrounding villages was free, we’d have tournaments.
The games were raucous and high spirited, sometimes even a little violent. Manu a game was broken up by a referee ejecting players for fouls, foul language, or both. I personally never finished a game, but then again, I wasn’t very good. They only put up with me because Papa was the president of the Vipore team. Once, after the coach pulled me from the field for blowing a play, I got so angry, I jumped the coach and was kicked off the field.
Vipore was the sponser of the Pieve Santo Stefano team. Because everyone loved the restaurant, out team was very popular. We even had a few semi-pros and pros from national teams like Juventus and Torino. Adding to our allure was the victory party Mama and Papa would throw after every game, win or lose. Sometimes up to a hundred people showed up. The parties were the greatest. We’d have them on the hill behind the restaurant, and they always lasted well into the night. There’d be lasagna by the meter, enough grilled ribs, chicken, steak, and lamb chops to feed a Roman army, and enough vino, rosso, and bianco, red and white wine to erase any simmering rivalries. At least until the pregame warm-up the following Sunday.
Piccolo CibreoTuscan-Style Chicken Liver
Lasagna di VegetaliVegeable Lasagna
Pollo, Tacchino, Agnello, e Manzo Mixed Grill Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Beef
Arrosto con Insalata di Rinforzowith make-you-strong salad
Semifreddo Con Granella e Salsa diSemifredo with Ground Nut Brittle and CioccolatoChocolate sauce
Piccolo Cibreo
Tuscan-Style Chicken Livers
Cibreo is what we call un piatto tipico Toscano, a typical Tuscan dish. Out in the country, a farmer’s wife would make it with rooster crest and giblets, but since rooster innards (much less the crests) aren’t readily available in the United States, I invented an American variation, which is why this cibreo is piccolo, or small.
(Serves 4)
1 pound chicken livers6 anchovy fillets, chopped
5 tablespoons flour¾ cup Vin Santo (or dry Marsala)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 small tomato, chopped
½ cup chopped red onion4 slices Tuscan bread, toasted and rubbed
With cut garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons drained capersSalt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Wash the chicken livers, dry well and dust them with flour. Pour the olive oil into a large sauté pan and add the onion, sage, red pepper flakes, and garlic and sauté over medium heat. When the onion is golden, after 6 to 8 minutes, add the chicken livers. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring so they brown evenly. Season them with salt and pepper, then add the capers, anchovies, and Vin Santo. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and cook for 8 to 10 minutes more.
The dish should be slightly soupy. If it starts to dry out, add a little bit of water. Spoon the livers over the toast, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and serve.
Lasagna di Vegetali
Vegetable Lasagna
(serves 12 as an appetizer)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil¼ cup seeded and sliced yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons chopped garlicFresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes4tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons dry white wine1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil1 cup sliced celery
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme1 cup well-washed and sliced leeks, white part only
3 cups pommarola or drained, canned Italian tomatos1 cup trimmed and sliced zucchini
6 quarts water1 cup salted, rinsed, dried, and sliced eggplant
1 pound lasagna noodles2 ½ cups Bechamel
¼ cup seeded and sliced red bell peppers1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Make sure all of the vegetables are cut to a uniform thickness. N a heavy sauté pan large enough to hold all the vegetables, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium until it gets hazy. Add the garlic and sauté until it starts to color, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the white wine (be careful, it may flame up for a brief moment until the alcohol evaporates). When the wine reduces, after about 2 minutes, add the following vegetables, in order: the onion, celery, carrots, leeks, zucchini, eggplant, and the bell peppers. Cook each vegetable for approximately 1 minute before adding the next. Add the black pepper and a tablespoon of the salt. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes more. Then add the basil, oregano, and thyme and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pommarola and cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside.
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of salt and drop in the lasagna noodles. When the noodles are very al dente, drain them, and plunge them into an ice water bath to stop them from cooking. Lay them out on kitchen towels to drain.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 13-x-9- inch baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Spoon a little béchamel sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover the bottom with sheets of pasta, side by side, draping it up the sides, and over the edge of the pan. Trim the pasta to the size of the pan. Spread a layer of béchamel over the pasta. Add a layer of the vegetable/tomato mixture , and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat the process until all the ingredients have been used up. The top layer should be pasta, a very thick layer of béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reffiano. (You can prepare the lasagna up to this point, then refrigerate it, and cook it when you are ready to serve, a day later if you like. An alternative is that after it is cooked, you can cut it into individual portions, wrap in foil, and freeze it. The pieces can be placed directly into the oven to reheat.) Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the lasagna is heated through and the top begins to turn golden.
Desciamella
Bechamel
(makes 2 ½ cups)
6 tablespoons sweet butterPinch of ground cinnamon
4 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flourPinch of white pepper
3 cups milkPinch of salt
Pinch of grated nutmeg
In a heavy-bottom medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add he flour, stirring constantly to incorporate it well and prevent lumps. Do not let the flour brown, otherwise your sauce will be pasty tasting. In another pan, heat the milk, but do not let it boil. While stirring the butter and flour mixture, add the hot milk all at once. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, white pepper, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until the mixture boils, then thickens. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Pollo, Tacchino, Agnello, e Manzo Arrosto con Insalata di Rinforzo
Mixed grill of chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef with make-you-strong salad
4 lamb chops (loin or rib), trimmed of fat8 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 can of beer
4 chicken thighs4 turkey wings
Make-you-strong salad (recipe follows)
Rub the lamb chops and steaks with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil. Mix together the garlic and the herbs and rub half the mixture into the lamb chops and steaks.
Pour the beer into a large bowl and add the chicken and turkey, the remaining garlic-herb mixture, and salt and pepper. Let all the meat marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Heat the grill or broiler and cook the meat to desired doneness- approximately 4 minutes per side for the lamb chops (for medium-rare), 4 to 5 minutes per side for the strip steak(for medium-rare), and 15 minutes per side for the chicken. (If you broil the meat, it will take slightly less time than on the grill.) Serve with the salad.
Insalata di Rinforzo
Make-you-strong salad
1 quart water10 cornichons, cut in half
8 shallots, peeled2 tablespoons drained capers
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets4 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 small zucchini, cut into 3-x-1/2 inch lengths3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil3 tablespoons pitted, halved green olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley3 tablespoons pitted, halved Italian black olives
Bring the water to boil in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook them until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Mix together the cauliflower and zucchini and steam them until they are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Place the peppers, skinside up, 2 to 3 inches from the heat and watch carefully. When the skin blackens, turn them over and blacken on the other sie. Place the peppers in a closed plastic bag for 15 minutes. Peel off the skin and cut the peppers into chunks.
Toss all the vegetables, olives, cornichons, capers, and anchovies together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Add the parsley, and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss well and serve warm or at room temperature, with the mixed grill.
Semifreddo con Granella e Salsa di Cioccolato
Semifreddo with ground Nut Brittle and Chocolate Sauce
Semifreddo, which means “almost frozen,” unites the creamy coldess of gelato with the airy lightness of mousse. I grew up on it, and it’s added more than a handful around my midriff. The granella, a ground-up nut brittle, gives this semifreddo a tasty candy-bar crunch. (If you don’t want to make our own granella, you can buy a bar of peanut brittle and a bar of almond brittle, break them up, and grind them in a food processor.) For a really decadent flourish, serve the semifreddo with warm chocolate sauce and strawberries.
(serves 8)
3 medium eggs, separated1/3 cup water
6 ½ tablespoons sugarChocolate Sauce
½ cup Granella3 cups fresh washed strawberries
1 ½ cups heavy cream
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with 2 ½ tablespoons of the sugar until they are pale. Add the granella and mix well. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken, then lower the speed and continue beating until the cream is stiff and glossy. Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and smoth.
In a saucepan, bring the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar and the water to a lively bubble and let it cook for 3 minutes, or until the syrup is clear. Remove it from the heat. Turn you mixer to high, and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites, beating the 2 ingredients together for about 3 minutes. The mixture should triple in volume. Turn the mixer down to medium and beat until the whites cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Combine well but do not overmix, or the batter will fall.
Spoon the mixture into individual custard cups and freeze for about 6 hours, or until frozen completely like ice cream. Serve with the chocolate sauce and strawberries, if you wish.
Granella
Ground nut brittle
¾ cup sugarSweet butter, for the pan
1 generous cup nuts (hazelnuts,
almonds, peanuts) Toasted and cooled
Melt the sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, then remove it from the heat, add the toasted nuts, and stir to coat all the nuts well.
Transfer the mixture to a well-buttered sheet pan and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Let this cool, then place it in the freezer until it becomes brittle.
Break the granella into chunks that will fit ito a food-processing bowl. Process the granella until it is coarse and crumbly. Granella can be used for garnishing many sweets. Store these ground nuts in a container wrapped with plastic in a cool, dry place. They will keep for a month.
Orecchiette pasta, which translates as "little ears," does a good job of catching bits of the broccoli rabe. To save time, cook the broccoli and pasta in the same water. Put the broccoli rabe into the pto first, fish it out with a slotted spoon or sieve, and then add the pasta. As an added benefit, the broccoli rabe flavors the water, which in turn flavors the pasta as it cooks...
This recipe is super simple, and I put it into Italian Cooking for Dummies because of how satisfying this recipe is all year round. It's always easy to find broccoli rabe in your local market, and during the spring and summer months you can substitute the broccoli rabe with another dark green, like Black Tuscan Kale, or even Swiss Chard.
1 Large bunch broccoli rabe, washed, cleaned, tough stems discarded, and florets separated from stems
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 pound orecchiette
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
Salt to Taste
1/4 grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and kosher salt and cook for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or small sieve, remove the broccoli rabe from the pot and transfer to a small bowl. Add the pasta to the boiling water, mix well, and cook until the pasta is al dente*.
Place the oilve oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet or medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the garlic turns gold, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the broccoli rabe. stir to combine. Serve immediately sprinkled with Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese.
* Al Dente translates from Italian as "To the Tooth" or the texture of the pasta as it should be tender but still somewhat firm.
Back in the old days, a norcino was the butcher - from the town of Norcia - who traveled from house to hosue making sausage for pig farmers. I call this dish the butcher's spaghetti because, to me, it's all about the sausage. No other meat can compete with the fat and flavor of a well-fed pig. That statement goes doubly for sausage, which I think of as a complete food group. This dish is so easy to make that it is almost foolproof.
2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped red onions 1/4 cup evoo 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary 2 1/2 pounds hot sausage, casings removed and meat crumbled 1 cup dry red wine 3 1/2 cups canned whole tomatoes, with their juice, pureed or finely chopped (You can also buy pureed tomatoes, but whole ones are less acidic and of higher quality) Large pinch crushed red pepper Large pinch grated nutmeg Large pinch ground cloves Large pinch ground cinnamon Salt Freshly group black pepper 1 pound spaghetti Grated Parmesan cheese, for finishing
In a food processor puree the garlic, onions, and celery to a coarse paste
Coat the bottom of a large skilet with the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion paste and the rosemary and saute over medium heat until the mixture begins to color, 10-15 minutes.
Add the sausage meats, stirring with a wooden spoon to break them up. When the sausage is brown, add the wine and reduce completely, 8-10 minutes
Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and 4 cups water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over low hear for 3 hours, adding additional water, a little at a time, if the mixture starts to look too dry. When the sauce is ready, skim off the excess fat and adjust the seasonings.
Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just under al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Add the spaghetti to the sauce with 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes for the pasta to absorb some of the sauce, adding more pasta water if the mixture becomes too dry. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.
Suggested Wines: Col Vento, Tenuta Del Terriccio (Grape:Sauvignon Blanc); Grifi, Avignonesi
(Grape: Prugnolo, Cabaret Sauvignon)
The first food competition I ever entered was Vin Italy, an annual wine exhibition in Verona.I was just twenty-four, the youngest of the seventy participating chefs, and very nervous.Giuliano Taccetti, one of my mentors, had helped me develop my entry- a whole stuffed boneless chicken served with radicchio and rabbit salad- and had been very supportive of my debut.But as the day of the competition neared, I still hadn’t worked out the final details of my peacock centerpiece, which, according to the Vin Italy rules, had to be made entirely from edible ingredients.A peacock body molded from butter with a tail from asparagus was as far as I’d gotten.I was stuck on what would make good body feathers.
Driving to Verona, I was so exhausted by anxiety, I fell asleep at the wheel.Luckily I wasn’t hurt, but Tutto il male non viene per nuocere, we say. Bad things don’t happen for nothing.I woke up in a ditch with a tree branch in my face and a vision of my peacock covered in sage leaves.My centerpiece was complete.It wasn’t until an hour later that my anxiety returned.Pulling into the Vin Italy pavilion, I noticed one after another of Italy’s most famous chefs, flanked by their sous chefs, unloading trucks of supplies, statues, and fancy cooking gear.I was by myself.All I had was my little peacock and what I had squeezed into my Cinquecento.I panicked and called Guiliano.There was no way I could win, I told him.I wanted to pull out. “You have to participate, and you have to win,” was all he said before hanging up.I downed a glass of red wine and went to work.All around me I could see these huge, complicated structures going up.When a friend showed up and invited me out to dinner, I saw my chance to escape.I approached Renato Ramponi, the president of the chef’s association, and excused myself.I wouldn’t be able to make the award dinner, I had another engagement, I explained.Impossible, he said, you’re a finalist.You have to be here.I was shocked, and even more so when they announced the winners: I’d split first place with two other chefs.
My winning recipe was for a whole, stuffed boneless chicken, but since there aren’t too many people who have the patience or time to learn how to bone a whole chicken, I’ve adapted the stuffing to use with a regular fryer. Of course, if you want, you can get a boneless chicken from your butcher and try it my way. With the chicken boned, all of the stuffing will fit inside.
POLLO RIPIENO
Stuffed Roast Chicken
(serves 4-6)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
½ cup chopped red onion 2 eggs, beaten
½ cup chopped celery Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup chopped carrot 6 tablespoons homemade chicken stock (or water), plus more as needed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 (4-5 pound) chicken, rinsed and patted dry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme ¼ cup white wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage ¼ cup flour
½ pound Italian sweet sausage 2 cups cubed, day-old Italian bread
¼ pound prosciutto, chopped 1/3 cup Pistachio nuts
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the olive oil, the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and sage in a medium frying pan and sauté over medium heat until the mixture is softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl.
Break the sausage out of its casing, add it to the frying pan, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, break up the sausage with a spoon until the pieces are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the sausage, bread crumbs, prosciutto, pistachio nuts, parsley, eggs and black pepper to the vegetables. Mix well. Add approximately 6 tablespoons of chicken stock. If the mixture still seems dry, add a little more.
Rub the chicken including the cavity, with salt and pepper. Use 1 to 2 cups of the stuffing to fill the chicken cavity. It should be loosely filled. Place the rest in an oiled, covered baking dish. To kept he chicken moist, cover the breast with a piece of cheesecloth soaked in butter or vegetable oil. Place the chicken on a rack, in a roasting pan, put it in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes per pound, basting it, from time to time, with the pan drippings. (Bake the extra stuffing along with the chicken.) Remove the chicken from the oven, splash it with the wine, and return it to the oven for another 20 minutes. The juices should run clear.
We don’t use gravy in Italy, but if you want to make it, scrape the juices and fat from the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Blend this with the flour and heat over medium-low. Stir in enough chicken stock to make two cups of gravy. Raise the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the bird rest for 5 minutes. Remove the stuffing, carve , and serve.
Salumi is very important to me. Anyone who enters my restaurants knows that I only serve the highest quality of salumi product. Italians are very passionate about their salumi production. The processing and preservation of pork though salting and aging is extremely ancient.
The bone fragments that have been found in various archeological excavations indicate that the breeding of swine developed in Northern Italy in the Neolithic period (5th Century BC). Of the 50,000 bone fragments found, at least 60% belonged to the swine species. Studies of the remains show that the bones of the animals hindquarters were missing. The hams were salted and/or smoked and then exported to Athens in ancient Greece.
The ancient Romans took the greatest interest in and focused their attention on the legs of hogs so that ham appeared in a starring role at their gatherings and celebrations. The production and consumption of salumi steadily assumed greater importance with the passage of centuries, from the elaborate centerpieces of the Italian Renaissance when the culinary arts and banquets became increasingly sumptuous, to the 19th century during which the first food-processing plants and the first specialist retailers spread throughout Italy.
In modern establishments in Italy the pigs are raised with full respect for the strictist health and hygiene standards. Each hog is branded so that in every succeeding phase of processing, from the start to the finished product, it is possible to track the animal's development back to the beginning. In the production of Italian preseved meats, processors use so-called "soft" technologies that involve long duration, low-intensity practices that meet the strictict hygienic standards. Processing myst respect the raw material and bring out its original qualitative characteristics.
A lot of people worry that salumi is too fatty and non-diet friendly. But thanks to new stockbreeding techniques, innovations in production methods and a diet for the animals that is almost exclusively vegetarian in composition, Italian preserved meats respond perfectly to modern nutritional standards. The amount of fat is limited - it is primarily unsaturated and of the finest quality - and the cholesterol level is unusually low. The percentage of favorable proteins makes salumi a food with a "high biological value" on the same level as eggs and milk. It contains a high concentration of mineals, especially iron and zinc, as well as chromium, selenium and magnesium. Many Italian salumi have received Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) recognition. The PDO and PGI are attributable only to those products with a centuries old tradition behind them. In the showcases of the average retail outlet, Italian products constitute the most numerous group, an indication that Italy leads all other countries in the range of premium preserved meats it offer consumers. The basic rules relating to preservation of salumi can be reduced to a series of precautions: protection from air of the slices and storage in a cool, dry place, preferably one sealed off from the light, or the refrigerator. Preserved meats should be consumed as soon as they have been sliced. In the case of sealed packages containing slice salumi, which assure preservation of the products' sensory characteristics, it is recommended that the consumer retain and observe the expiration date indicated. Italian salumi have exclusive characteristics that permit them to be cut in extremely thin slices. From the sensory standpoint, the thinner the slice, the greater the impact of the frangrance and delicacy that are the hallmarks of fine Italian salumi. According to the saying, slices of a well-cut salame must be able to stand unsupported on their rims.
