Saturday 25 July 2015
Thursday 23 July 2015
That's A Fine Set of Legs
We've been busy at our Melbourne Sausage HQ Malinga variety of prosciutto. We have the traditional Itslian leg with the bone, we have the boneles and butterflied versions, we have prosciuttini ( little prosciutto) and culatello.
At the back of our curing cabinet, we're busy curing prosciutto from kangaroo (kangaruitto) and venison.
And now we wait..... It's a long and patient waiting period for the next 10-12 months. It's an exciting time!
Wednesday 22 July 2015
It's Not Always About Salami, But It Tends To End Up That Way!
By: Sara Grazia
When I’m travelling through Italy, I tend to make as much salami as I possibly can with friends and producers large and small; however, my travels are not always about salami!
I like to visit a range of different places and experience new and exciting things, get treated to new methods and skills that these crafts people have learned many years before and are excited to share when they meet equally as enthusiastic people such as myself, that share a common passion for all things hand made.
Today I hit the road running, running out into the great unknown of the Italian country side to visit some home producers that make their own wine and spirits. (It turns out they also make their own salami, but we’ll get to that later)
Miles away from the new freeway that links most of Northern Italy to Milan, I drove through towns, large and small, villages with only a few houses and the great mountainous valleys that northern Italy is known for. All in pursuit of the perfect cantina.
In a small farming village sat a traditional Italian farm house surrounded by acres of vineyard. As it was the middle of winter everything was quite brown and grey. I could just imagine how picturesque this place must be in the spring time, when the fields are full of colour and the vines are heaving with grapes.
This farm house and vineyard belonged to twin brothers, who both enjoy living off the land. They have a chicken hutch for eggs and roasting, a pig pen for rearing their own pigs ready for the winter slaughter, a vineyard and so much more.
The real reason I was here was to see a great Italian cantina, a real gem, and like most gems it was hidden far beneath the ground. I wasn’t expecting such a downhill slope and didn't come properly prepared on the shoe front. The path led us down into the ground approx. 3 storeys deep.
At the bottom of the slope was a large flat area with two large roller doors on either side. The door on the right led into a large farm shed that had been built under part of the vineyard. The door to the left however opened up into a cavernous vaulted palace.
It was one of the most impressive cantina’s I've had the pleasure of visiting. It dwarfed the farm house above 10 fold. This place was unbelievable; there was even an elevator through the centre that took you directly up to house. I'm not sure where the exit point in the house was, I only received a very limited tour – I do love the Italian way of life the way they hold onto their family secrets and such.
The cantina was full to bursting with wine equipment from 100 years ago right through to the present day. These brothers and their families produce 1000’s of litres of wine here, none of it is to sell – it’s purely for sharing amongst the families. If you don’t help with the harvest you don’t get any wine, it’s as simple as that.
With many of the younger family members coming into adulthood, they want to experiment and try new things with the wine, things the family hasn't done before. The younger generation decided to produced a small batch of sparkling wine. The younger of the twin brothers was very excited and thinks it’s great to see his nephews, nieces and grandchildren getting involved – trying new things and keeping the family traditions alive. The older of the twins, not so much. He’s much more of a traditionalist; you make the red wine and the white and basta! (That’s it!) "They shouldn't be blending the flavours and spoiling the grapes! There is a way that the wine is made, it has been like this for several generations and now the younger ones think they know better!"
After a tour of the cantina and wine cellar it was time for a little tasting. The wine was still young in the twins’ opinion so we only had a thimbles worth, and it was impressive. Full flavoured and bold, a very meaty red which went perfectly with the homemade cheese and salami. I was a little early for the salami making of the boys this year, so we shared what was left of the previous year’s batch, and it was delicious. A typical northern flavour, heavy on garlic and herbs, succulent and aromatic. A feast for all the senses.
I’m hoping that I can plan my next trip to be able to go and visit the twins on their next salami making weekend, it sounds like a festival. Close to 100 family members and friend embark onto this farmhouse every year to mix up a batch of salami, prosciutto and a range of cured meats. Its sounds like quite an event, one definitely worth heading back for.
Tuesday 21 July 2015
Monday 20 July 2015
Sunday 19 July 2015
Saturday 4 July 2015
Salami Making with Friends in Italy
By: Sara Grazia
In a tiny village in northern Italy, miles away from anywhere stands what’s left of a medieval farming estate. Some of the buildings have been restored and are now weekend retreats for those working in the larger towns and cities surrounding Milan and Brescia, while others remain architectural sculptures of a passed era. It’s here where I am catching up with a very dear friend of mine, Signor Pierluigi.
This estate looks like something purpose built for an epic gladiator film, it’s hard to believe what’s left of this beautiful picturesque village is hundreds of years old. There is one road that takes you to and through the village. It’s a single lane road approx. 15km long and on either side of the lane is a very deep irrigation ditch. This area is prime farming land, predominantly for corn.
Nestled away behind a large stone arch is a massive courtyard. Unfortunately over the centuries the cobbles have deteriorated, been removed or stolen and now all that remains on a sunny winter’s day is slush and mud…. lots and lots of mud! The scenery however is breathtaking.
The original farm buildings and out houses, storage vaults and the village itself, looks as though nothing has been touched in centuries. The original hay shed still stands, packed with hay from a recent harvest, a few repairs to the roof, but otherwise untouched. The cow shed and stables are still as they were. Walking in you feel a real sense of history, almost like you’ve travelled back in time from the present day.
Between the cow shed and the hay shed, is the diamond in the rough, Pierluigi’s personal meat producing haven. Pierluigi purpose built this production space within the old surrounds of the farms outbuildings.
The heavy and thick brick walls help keep the temperature ideal for processing the meats. In one section he has configured the space into two small curing rooms with the latest computerised technology to control and monitor the curing environments. On the other side of the curing wall is the processing room. It’s a big space with a stainless steel bench in the centre, and a trough for cleaning and washing the fresh intestines… the joyous job that was given to me on my very first visit! In the opposite corner sits a massive pot and a few other bits and pieces for some cheese making that will be happening later on in the week.
We went to have a look at how the latest batch of salami and cured meats were coming along in the curing rooms, things were looking good. It was the ideal time to visit as the previous batch of salami was ready for coming out of the curing rooms ready for today’s batch to be hung. This means I get to hand pick a little something delicious for lunch!
After a little bit of squeezing and smelling and decided which salami we were going to be enjoying for lunch, it was time to pop next door, pull on our very fashionable and stylish plastic couture and get skinning and dicing. Today was salami making day and we were going to be making three different types. The first salami we are making is a very traditional style to these parts, salami Felino.
It all began with Pierluigi, his brother in law, his brother in law’s brother in law and few of their good friends. I’m not sure how many kilos of meat we diced up, but some was diced finely and some was diced in very large pieces. The different grades of meat where put into buckets ready for the next part of the process.
A very old meat mincer was pulled out from under the bench and lifted onto the bench top. I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it! It was originally a manual machine, that like so many ‘handy’ Italians, was hooked up to a make shift electric motor. It was quite a thing to behold! Once it was all set up, I took a few steps back and left the mincing of the meat up Pierluigi and friends. I was a little hesitant about getting my hands anywhere near that machine! Despite my concern it was all good in the end; we had a few laughs about it!
With the meat all minced and seasoned, the boys headed out to prepare some lunch and have a coffee and brioche, I was left to clean the casings.
It must be one of the least pleasant jobs known to mankind. These casings were FRESH, not in the sense that they’ve been cleaned and salted and purchased from the butcher or over the counter… I’m talking directly from the animal fresh. There is a pig farm a hundred metres or so down the road, so all the pork produce is extremely fresh. In this state the casings have a very pungent smell, it’s enough to make your stomach turn. They’re slimy and gooey and no matter how much you cleaned them it just never seemed to be enough.
Soon enough the lunch call was made and I was out of that production room in a flash and into the sun filled courtyard for some grappa and handmade salami panini. The salami was cut thickly and put on bread and it was delicious.
After lunch I was dreading having to go back and clean more of those casings, thankfully someone lost a bet – they didn’t think I would get my hands in the trough and clean any casings at all, but as I did – the casing cleaning was handed over to someone else.
With the meat rested for a while it was time to start filling. The salami was filled on one side of the table and on the other everyone was busily tying.
With the last few salami left to tie, Pierluigi took me on tour of the local village. Just outside the door of his meat processing room he had a small beehive. Apart from the meats and cheeses, this family also produce their own honey! It was amazing to see.
On the other side of the village was the piggery. There were hundreds of pigs and these pigs were huge; a small adult must have weighed between 160 and 180kg.
On the way back to the farm we discussed recipes and different ingredient blends. After returning home, I sat down in my kitchen and blended up one of the recipes we made that day with Pierluigi. A Venetian style cacciatore, with a Calabrian – hot chilli paste – twist.
You can try it for yourself at home as it is now available on the shelf at our Sausage HQ.
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