Today is Columbus Day. In recent years the man and the day have been vilified - and with good reason. However it's also a time to celebrate the impact of Italian food has on the American palate. One of the most obvious are the cold cuts. These are pure heaven, and brighten up any lunch or dinner.
One of the all time favorites is the elegant mortadella.It is considered a sausage made of finely hashed or ground heat cured pork. It also has about fifteen per cent of pork cubes from the sinewy neck muscles. It's flavored with black pepper grains, pistachios and in some dried myrtle berries.It originated in Bologna and is the first cousin of bologna, another ground meat. The name comes from mortare or to grind. The best way to have it is on a big hung of crisp fresh Italian bread. It doesn't need any mayo.It's just supremely delicious on its' own. Sopprassata is another tasty bite that's great om bread or rolls. It's more from Liguria and Genoa. Unlike mortadella it can be sliced and added to a salad. Prosciutto is one of the most popular and eaten the most. Many know it from gracing cantaloupe slices in fancy restaurants but's it's also great layered with other cold cuts on a hero.it's made from high quality pork legs.Most prosciutto slices are crudo or cured raw. The meat is covered in salt and left to"rest" so bacteria and blood can't touch it. after this salting period the meat is washed and left to cure for fourteen to thirty-six months. That's what gives the meat the sweet - rich flavor.
Pepperoni is also vastly popular and is used from pizza topping to salad.It's more Italian-American in origin.It's similar to salami, much loved by Southern Italians.It's usually made from a mix of pork and beef but there is now some made from turkey meat for a "healthier" lower calorie version.Pepperoni came about in 1919 ,probably to introduce Americans to Italian foods.It is loaded with nitrates to prevent botulism which gives its' signature reddish tint. Dried sausage would be a better choice. It's created from pork and fat cubes. It's seasoned with garlic, salt and spices and stuffed into a pig's intestine. A smaller version is salomino which has a small one inch circumference. The Emilia-Romana town of Felino is known for it.It can also be spicy or piccante. Try it sliced in a giardeneria salad. Capocolla is another popular cold cut.It's a pork shoulder flavored with paprika and red pepper flakes. Unlike the other cold cuts which are cured. capocolla is slow roasted.Have it sliced paper thin and layered on a long roll, with tomatoes and banana peppers.
Celebrate not Columbus but other Italians and their contributions to American life. Celebrate the joy of Italian eating and Italian cold cuts. These are truly gems on the American table.
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