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CHEESY POLENTA

Creminelli Barolo Salami, Gorgonzola

SERVES 6

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*NOTE: IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A TRADITIONAL POLENTA RECIPE, TRY THIS ONE FROM GIADA DE LAURENTIIS (LINK).  SHE’S FROM TORINO, ITALY NOT FAR FROM THE CREMINELLI’S HOME TOWN OF BIELLA.  IF YOU’RE UNFAMILIAR WITH POLENTA, CHECK OUT THIS PRIMER FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA (LINK). ALSO, HERE’S A SIMILAR RECIPE FROM MARIO BATALI WITH SAUTÉED SALAMI (LINK).

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Ingredients

• 1 Cup Milk
• 6 Cups Water
• 2 Cups Polenta
• 2 Cups Asiago or Parmesan, shredded
• ¼ Cup Gorgonzola, crumbled
• 2 Creminelli Barolo Salamis

*WILD BOAR SALAMI ALSO PAIRS WONDERFULLY WITH POLENTA, PARTICULARLY A ROSEMARY POLENTA LIKE THIS ONE FROM INA GARTEN (LINK).

• Salt & Pepper

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Directions

1) Bring milk and water to a boil and slowly pour in polenta. Stir constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce heat and continue to stir for 2 minutes. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring almost constantly.

2) Fold Asiago cheese into polenta.

3) Add salt and pepper to taste.

*GO LIGHT ON THE SALT. THE SALAMI WILL ALREADY BRING SALTINESS TO THE PLATE.

4) Place polenta in serving bowl and top with gorgonzola.

5) Slice salami into ¼ inch disks and serve alongside polenta.

*THINNER SLICES OF SALAMI ALSO WORK WELL, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SALAMI IS NICE AND DRY.

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FLATBREAD PIZZA

Creminelli Piccante Salami, Fresh Mozzarella

SERVES 6

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Ingredients

• 3 Flatbreads (sub. Pita breads)

*HERE ARE SOME FLATBREAD IDEAS: AMERICAN FLATBREAD CAN BE PURCHASED FROZEN (LOCATIONS) OR THERE ARE MAKE-YOUR-OWN OPTIONS FROM ALLRECIPES.COM (LINK) AND BOBBY FLAY (LINK). I’M ALSO A BIG FAN OF INA GARTEN’S GRILLED PIZZA RECIPE (LINK). THE CREMINELLI PICCANTE SALAMI MAKES A GREAT PEPPERONI IN EACH CASE.

• 1 Sprig Rosemary, chopped
• 1 Sprig Thyme, chopped
• 1 Clove Garlic, chopped
• ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 Large Fresh Mozzarella Balls
• 1-2 Creminelli Piccante Salamis

*FOR A MEAT-LOVERS PIZZA TRY 2 PICCANTE SALAMIS AND SOME CREMINELLI PICCANTE OR TRADIZIONALE FRESH SAUSAGE

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Directions

1) Slice salami into thin disks.

*IF THE SALAMI IS ALREADY VERY FIRM AND DRY, SLICE THIN AND ADD THEM TO THE PIZZA FOR JUST THE LAST 2 MINUTES OF BAKING.

2) Cut mozzarella into ½-inch square pieces.

3) Combine rosemary, thyme, garlic and oil to make an herb oil.

4) Brush flatbreads with herb oil.

5) Arrange sliced salami on top of pizza and top with 10-12 squares of mozzarella.

6) Bake at 350° for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

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Creminelli Fine Meats teamed up with Chef Zane Holmquist, the Executive Chef at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, UT, to bring you some ideas on how to use artisan salami in your kitchen. Cristiano Creminelli has added some additional suggestions in red. Let us know what you think…and let us know what additional ideas you have. Here’s the first of several to come.

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ANTIPASTO PLATE

Your Choice of Creminelli Salamis

EACH SALAMI SERVES 4-6

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Ingredients

• Creminelli Salami (sliced thick if soft, thin if firm)
• Aged Italian and domestic cheeses

*PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, SHAVED OR CHUNKED, IS ALWAYS A GOOD BET. IF YOU’RE GOING FOR TERROIR, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE SEAHIVE OR EMIGRANT FROM BEEHIVE CHEESE COMPANY IN UTAH (LINK) AND A DRY TOMA OR WELL-AGED FONTINA D’AOSTA FROM THE ITALIAN SIDE.

• Fresh seasonal melons and berries
• Dried fruits including figs, apricots and blueberries
• Walnuts, pecans and pistachios

*THE SWEET FINISH OF THE PECAN IS MAGIC WITH THE SALTY SALAMI. CANDIED PECANS OR WALNUTS WOULD ACCENTUATE THE AFFECT.

• Olives, capers and cornichons
• Crusty artisan bread (sliced)

*TOO MUCH BREAD, ESPECIALLY DENSE BREAD, WILL SWALLOW THE FLAVORS OF THE SALAMI. TRY TURNING YOUR BREAD INTO CROSTINI BY GRILLING OR TOASTING THIN SLICES AND THEN DRIZZLING WITH OLIVE OIL.

• Water crackers, crostini or grissini

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Directions

1) Choose your favorite items from the ingredient list.

*I RECOMMEND A GOOD MIX OF SALTY AND SWEET, WET AND DRY, BLAND AND STRONG, COLORFUL AND DRAB.

2) Creatively arrange items on a platter or slab adding your own flair.

3) Allow salamis to reach room temperature before serving.

*HERE’S A MOSTARDA RECIPE FROM MARIO BATATLI THAT WORKS WONDERFULLY WITH A SALAMI APPETIZER (LINK). GIADA DE LAURENTIIS ALSO SUGGESTS CRISPING SALAMI IN THE OVEN AND THEN TOPPING WITH SOUR CREAM AND FRESH BASIL (LINK).

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«Salame da sogno…non avrei creduto possibile di trovarla fuori dall’Italia. Grazie!!» Translated: “Dream salami…I didn’t think it was possible to find this outside of Italy. Thank you!!”
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When this email showed up in our inbox we asked the sender for some background and this is what we got:
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“My love of Italy goes back a long time; I’ve spent time on-and-off in Florence since I was sixteen. I really miss Italy, as I love the food, people, culture, etc. I used to work with a bike touring company and we often rode through the Chianti area toward Siena. If you are familiar with Greve in Chianti, you probably know the Macelleria Falorni–che carni! I think the last time I was there was probably 1999…fast forward to Napa Valley, California, 2009: while on vacation I stopped at Dean and DeLuca and bought 1/4 lb. of your salame tartufo, and was instantly transported back to Greve in Chianti! It was just like Proust’s madeleine…

“I am thrilled to find you guys, because NOBODY knows how to make proper salame in the US. There are some good ones, if you buy at the upper end (D&D, Balducci’s), but I have never found one that tastes as much like Italy as yours. After I ran out of salame tartufo, I went back to a salame piccante by [another salami producer]…and had to throw it away!

“So that’s my story. Whenever I travel back to the US from Italy, I come home with my suitcase stuffed with prosciutto, parmigiano, salame, salsiccie, porcini, and olive oil. I always get a little nervous when the drug-sniffing beagles come around (not to mention the customs inspector). Now I won’t have to worry about all that!

“Good luck and best regards,
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Anne”
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So, there you have it Mr. Homeland Security Inspector. Thanks to Creminelli, she’s left behind a life of smuggling and come clean. Our work here is done, boys.I

We spend a lot of time around the country introducing artisan salami to food experts and newbies alike. We thought it was time to share the answers to the questions we most often get asked.
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Q: What’s the best way to store Creminelli salami that has not been peeled? How long will it last?
A: The answer has two parts and depends, in part, on how dry you like your salami. Part 1: If a salami is not completely firm – in other words, if it still gives when squeezed – then we recommend storing it in the refrigerator in paper or au natural and letting is continue to exhale humidity, but for no more than a week. Part 2: Once the salami is completely firm, it’s best to keep it in plastic to keep it from getting too dry. In northern Italy, it is traditional to eat artisan salami that is still soft, but in southern Italy and much of the U.S. we are used to a more firm salami texture. You can decide how you like it best.
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Artisan salami still in its casing (unpeeled) will last forever, but after a couple of months it can become too hard to slice and difficult to chew.

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Q: The salami I received seems soft. Is it safe?
A: Yes! All of the salami we send from our factory has been fully cured and meets both Creminelli’s and the USDA’s rigorous standards for food safety. Softer salami is a northern Italian tradition and its introduction through Creminelli adds a new dimension to American charcuterie with a delicate, buttery taste and soft, creamy texture. If you prefer soft salami, give it a squeeze before you buy and make sure it gives a little. If you prefer it drier, make sure it doesn’t have any give when squeezed. Remember that after one week in the refrigerator a soft salami becomes a hard salami. Putting a soft salami in plastic to keep it from firming up is possible, but condensation makes it a messy business.

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Q: Is the artisan salami shelf stable? Can I store it on my kitchen counter?
A: Yes and no. The product is shelf stable – it won’t spoil. However, like chocolate and some cheeses, it “melts” at temperatures over 72 degrees. Most kitchens get warmer than 72 degrees once you start cooking, so the refrigerator is still the best place to store to maintain product quality over time.

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Q: Can I take my salami on a road trip or camping trip?
A: A lot of people do this. The origin and popularization of salami emerges from the need to transport perishables. Our only recommendation is do your best to keep the salami insulated and away from direct sunlight and heat to maximize the quality…and don’t forget your knife.

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Q: How do I store peeled salami and how long will it last?
A: The best way to store peeled salami is in a plastic baggy. It will last 7-10 days like other cold cuts.

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Q: The salami I have is very hard and I’m having trouble peeling it. Is there anything I can do with it?
A: Yes! It is possible for salami to get so hard that it’s useless, but that takes many months. More likely, your salami just needs some work to get to all the good stuff inside. As far as peeling there are two options. You can slice it without peeling and then peel the skin off of each individual slice. The other option is for peeling the entire salami. You can take a wet towel and wrap the salami with it for 2-3 minutes before peeling. Warning: this can be messy, but it works. Now, to slice the salami, get a heavy, sharp knife and slice as thinly as possible. Better yet, take it to your local deli and have them slice it for you on the slicer. The salami has a wonderful sweetness when it is hard, but watch your fingers when you’re slicing through it.

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Q: At what temperature should I serve the salami?
A: Salamis will slice more easily when they are cold, especially if they are starting out on the soft side, so slice them right when they come out of the refrigerator in that case. However, the delicate flavors of Creminelli salami come out best at room temperature, so give the salamis at least 15 minutes to warm before serving.

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Q: I bought a salami wrapped in paper and it was sticky when I took off the paper. What should I do?
A: The stickiness is a result of condensation mixing with the flouring on the outside of the salami. It isn’t altogether uncommon for this to occur on one small spot of the salami and should not keep you from consuming the salami as normal. If the entire salami is sticky, you can either stick it back in the refrigerator and wait until it dries, or take it back to the store and have it replaced. We guarantee satisfaction on all of our products.

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Q: What’s the white stuff on the outside of the salami?
A: The white stuff is a mixture of the natural mold bloom that grows during the curing process, not unlike what happens with aged cheese, and the white rice flour we use to dust the salami before packaging.

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Q: How do you suggest serving the salami? What pairings do you suggest?
A: Very soon we will be posting to this site a set of recipes that are perfect for salami. In the meantime, here are some basic pairing ideas: crusty European-style bread, water crackers, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, fresh melons and figs, walnuts and pecans, olives, dried figs, arugula tossed in olive oil and lemon juice, and polenta. If you come up with some good ones of your own, please share them by commenting on this blog. Great comments will get Creminelli treats in the mail!

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Q: What can I do if I have other questions?
A: Please email info@creminelli.com. We generally respond quickly. Additionally, please sign up as a fan of Creminelli Fine Meats on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Creminelli) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/creminelli) to get regular updates.
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Sure, we love our work and Cristiano has a deep lifelong passion for curing meats of the highest quality, but what about true love? Is there any of that noble, inspiring virtue motivating our work? Thanks to Mario A. from Arizona, there is now. Here is his story in his own words:
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“Thanks Creminelli, I needed the salami to get a girl back, I had written her a letter each day for over 35 days, sent her a birthday gift in there and also some music among other things — she never responded. Knowing her love for Salami and that she would find it cute and endearing I took my chances and sent it – she finally responded for the first time and I saw her this weekend.

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Behold the power of Creminelli Salami.

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We dated for a long time so I was a little slow with the ring. I will likely ask her to marry me soon as that has always been the plan…like I said just a little too slow originally.

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Mario A., Arizona”

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Well, Mario, we’re anxious to see how this story ends, so we’re on her side now. Get a move on!

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By Chris Bowler (Cristiano Creminelli’s business partner)

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The welcome news arrived Monday: Creminelli Fine Meats has won the 2009 sofi Silver Award in the Meat, Paté and Seafood category for its Tartufo Handcrafted Salami with Black Truffles. We go for the gold at the end of June.

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In the U.S., we love excess. We stack our sandwiches high and lionize the likes of Mario Batali, “Molto Mario”. I, however - although typically American in just about every other way - am a traditionalist when it comes to food. My mouth and stomach have been tutored and refined over five years of living in Italy with its daily courses in the school of Italian food and culture. I have come to agree with most Italians that we Americans generally add at least one ingredient too many to everything we make. (Did that fresh green salad really need fruit and nuts on it?) The logic of simplicity, for me, applies to the Italian staple, salami. If I have some aged cheese on my hands and am looking for a snack, I’d break out the Casalingo or the Sopressata – perhaps the Piccante if I’m feeling aggressive, or the Barolo if I’m feeling reflective. But the Tartufo? I pull that out like a parlor trick, to impress the guests, for them to enjoy…or for Christmas. I think Cristiano would agree with me on this. So, why does Cristiano make it? For fun, really…and because he loves the look in (American) people’s eyes when they taste it.

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Sometimes I think that our Tartufo salami is just another case
of Americans adding one ingredient too many to something that has already arrived at the perfect balance of being abundantly flavorful yet reassuringly simple. We’ve had more than one skeptic and plenty of nay-sayers. In 2008, the comments from the sofi judges on the Tartufo read, “Beautiful; The truffle distracts from the [salami]; I usually dislike truffle flavorings…but this is very subtle, nice!; nice texture”. Notably, the Cacciatore actually received a higher point total with the following comments: “Beautiful; nice product; great taste.” The Sopressata: “superb!” And yet, the judges, almost despite themselves it seems, selected the Tartufo over the others, now two years in a row.

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“Nice”, “great”, “superb”, you lose. “I don’t know if you should have done that”, “are you sure?”, “actually, I think you pulled it off”, you win. I, too, suffer from this American schizophrenia of feeling profound admiration for the European sense of balance and yet loving, needing excess. Perhaps Cristiano’s winning accomplishment is that he managed to do something that hints of American excess and yet remains subtle enough to be considered refined (“…but this is very subtle, nice!”) And, by the way, even those of us who claim to be European-style epicurean minimalists would NEVER! turn down an invitation to dine at Babbo.

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It has now been one year since we started producing my family salami and sausage recipes in America.  We’re too busy to celebrate, but it’s fun to reflect for a few minutes on the adventures of the last year.  It started last June after we found the farms with the right hogs raised and fed in the right way. Of course, there are a few steps between the farm and the salumificio and bridging that gap was not easy.  The only solution we could find was to produce in a small, old slaughterhouse in Ogden, Utah with a processing room.  We did all the work ourselves, hoof to hang.

The salamis posed an additional problem since we couldn’t cure at the slaughterhouse.  Instead, we’d stuff and hand-tie the salamis and then transport them in large coolers loaded in our old white van with the blue hood (affectionately referred to as the “meat vagon”) and take the hour-long trip down to Tony Caputo’s Market in Salt Lake City where we kept our small curing cells.  We would sell the salamis as fresh sausages to Caputos and “mentor” them through the curing process so that legally they were cured and sold at retail. (That’s as much as I can say about that.)

The first salamis were ready and they were only okay.  We didn’t like the salt we had used and they dried a little quickly in Utah’s desert air.  The second production was a marked improvement – we found just the right salt and we made some adjustments for Utah’s particular climate.  The third production was…well…exciting.  I was able to prove what I already knew: you can make good salami anywhere, but you make it differently everywhere.

At the end August, we upgraded in a big way – a newer shared facility, a larger processing room and a second room where we could put our curing cells.  We were now under one roof, which was good since days earlier the meat vagon had conked out, coasting into the Caputo’s parking lot propelled by sheer will to get that salami into the curing cells before they got warm.  We had also found a pork supplier that would take and box the pork from our favorite hogs and deliver them right to us.  That allowed us to use only the exact cuts we needed marking another improvement in the product.

We thought we would be in this facility a long time.  Production was in full swing and the salamis continued to improve with every batch.  They were every bit as good as the ones my family makes in Italy, but with a few variations making them distinctly American.  We attended the Fancy Food Show in January and presented them outside Utah for the first time.  The response was exciting.  The path ahead looked clear…

 …except that when we returned from the show we were told that there was no longer room for us at the shared facility.  The next two months were tough!  We found a small co-packer where we could produce our sausage and we had about 2 months worth of salami in inventory.  That gave us two months to find a new location.  It would take a miracle, but we felt one was coming.  As is typical, it came, but in the wrong place – Springville, UT an hour to the south.  We decided we had to do it or risk losing everything.  There was a bright side.  This would be our very own facility and we would not have to share with anybody.  It has since become the first Creminelli salumificio in America where I can produce at leisure and try new recipes and creations as I please.

We have adjusted well to Springville and have now been producing there for two great months.  Our old contacts from the Fancy Food Show still remember us, well some of them do, and the Fancy Food organizers have nominated our black truffle salami for the Outstanding New Product of 2008 award.  We’re also now in the process of converting the extra room at the facility into a large aging room greatly increasing our ability to produce salami.  I look forward to staying here for a while, a good long while.

Well, back to work!

Epilogue: Soon after I originally wrote this blog I was driving with my business partner on I-80 going west to Park City for an event when we passed a non-descript old, white van.  It wasn’t until I had passed it and I saw the blue hood in my rearview mirror that I realized it was the meat vagon!  We celebrated boisterously it’s resurrection for about 30 seconds.  We had left it for dead at Carmax, running away with $250 sure that they would come looking for us asking our money back.  But the meat vagon is more resilient than we imagined – back on the road and humming along, just like us.

I have now been living in America on and off for about a year.  It has always been my dream to bring my family’s recipes to America and start a company.  I love my work and I’m excited to see this dream come true.

My family already owned Salumificio di Vigliano in Biella, Italy when I was young, so I was practically born in a salumificio.  I am the oldest son so I’ve been helping my father tie the sausages and check on the salami-drying since grade school.  I would wake up early and walk through the factory before school and then after school and during the summer I would help out wherever I could.

One thing that my father began teaching me when I was still young was how to judge the progress of dry-curing salami.  I still call him on the phone from America when I have a question because he has a lifetime of experience in curing salamis.  It is a highly-developed artisan expertise that I hope to pass on to others as my father passed it on to me.

This hasn’t been an easy journey.  My wife and I have been together since middle school and have never been separated for more than a day until I took off on this adventure.  She supports me in this dream and luckily she likes to travel.  She and my daughter also look forward to getting to know the land of dreams.

I love America. It is the land of innovation and the land of new frontiers. Italy used to play this role in the world as in the case over 2200 years ago when it took a food of the Gauls – ground salted pork stuffed in natural casings and dry cured – and turned it into what we know as Italian salami.

In Italy, little has changed in the way we make artisan salami. Like 2200 years ago the quality of the salami is almost exclusively determined by the curing methods and the quality of the curing process. The most significant change has been the shift from household cellars to temperature and humidity controlled rooms that provide a more consistent environment for the curing process and therefore a more consistent end result.

Modern salami producers have attempted to speed up the production process, racing through the most important step and using potent mixes of spices to mask shortcomings in the curing process. While many decent salamis have been made in this ways nothing compares to a true artisan Italian salami that captures the full, bold, savory taste that is a result of expert artisan curing. The difference is easily distinguished.

It is with great pride that I bring my family recipes and artisan methods to America and introduce an ancient innovation of my land to the land that I admire so much.