Hammin Ma Habibi

Most of the old Jewish recipes that made their way into the Italian diet are vegetarian, like the famous Roman fried artichokes or Russian salad you find in our version of a deli. Still there are a few meat dishes we owe to the Jews, the classic being Hammin, a one-course Sabbath meal that's now common all over Tuscany. (The word Hammin comes from the Hebrew adjective ham, or warm, which describes certain dishes that were kept warm for prolonged periods of time. In this case it was a way to deal with the restriction of lighting a fire on the Sabbath. A Hammin dish was put on the heat before the Sabbath started.)

With ingredients like pancetta and Parmigiano cheese in it, Italians have obviously put their own spin on the dish. You can also make this recipe as a loaf, but the way we do it in Italy is complicated: We roasted it in a pan, turning and basting it like a regular roast, so I prefer the patties options. Since our menu at the Salumeria reflects the best dishes from my past and are Assaggi -style, I've made them into 3 oz. patties. Typically this recipe calls for Fagioli al Forno; stewed with tomatoes. Personally, this dish is so perfect for this time of year, I think any kind of beans can be prepared with the patties and impress. The way we are running it at the Salumeria we are using Coco di Mama beans and Braised Escarole.










Buon Appetito!

CC


p.s. The recipe for this delicious meal can be found on page 168 of Chef Casella's most recent book, True Tuscan.