Mortadella, frankfurters and cooked salami are among the favorite cured meats for filling sandwiches, focaccias, flatbreads and many other simple and quick street foods. However the spiced and flavored meats of these sausages offer a great choice of pleasant sensations to taste and smell. They can therefore become the ideal ingredients for preparing authentic gourmet recipes.
Europrodotti supplies a vast assortment of selected aromas and spices to enrich in a natural way the taste and aroma of every type of sausage. Frankfurters, mortadella and cooked salami thus become versatile ingredients that can be included in any type of menu: from the most informal snacks to the more demanding lunches and dinners.
Let's get to know frankfurters, mortadella and cooked salami
Mortadella, the queen of cured meats
If ham is the king of cured meats mortadella is its queen. This title belongs to it thanks to the particular characteristics that also measure its quality: the pink color of the lean part and the candid one of the fat part, the delicacy of the perfume and the unique flavor of its slices. Mortadella was born in Bologna and the name of the Emilian town has also become synonymous with this sausage. The official name instead derives from the mortars in which the ingredients were once worked: a mixture of very finely ground pork and suckling veal, very white fat, pepper and a mix of spices. Sometimes pistachios are also added to add a touch of crunchiness and a sweet-salty aftertaste to the slices.
Cooked salami, succulent Italian sausages
Cooked salami are considered the Piedmontese answer to mortadella even if several regions of northern and central Italy boast this type of gastronomic excellence. Piedmontese salami are prepared with coarsely minced pork cuts flavored with red wine and a blend of spices which normally includes pepper, cinnamon, mint, savory and cloves. In the small town of Cavour savoy cabbage is added to the mixture of the salami while celery and carrots are also added to the bisecon (bisecun) of Santo Stefano Belbo. The mixture is then stuffed into bondeana, blind beef intestine, and boiled at low temperatures. The best known Piedmontese cooked salami are those from Monferrato. The cooked salami of Viterbo is also very valuable, the origins of which date back to Roman times. It is prepared with finely ground pork shoulder, leg, belly and trimmings mixed with sea salt, pepper and aromatic herbs.
Frankfurters, the pride of German… and Italian cuisine
Frankfurters are judged like the Cinderella of cured meats. But like the fairytale character manages to demonstrate his charm and to marry the charming prince, this category of sausages also boasts valuable gastronomic specialties that can be combined with refined recipes. Germany, where frankfurters were born and are more correctly called wurst or weisswurst, boasts over 1,500 types of typical sausages. The most famous is the Bratwurst made with pork, veal and beef seasoned with various flavors such as salt, pepper, nutmeg, marjoram, cumin and garlic. As proof that also Italy boasts excellent frankfurters at least once in your life you should try the Meraner Hauswurst, a Trentino sausage prepared with lean cuts of beef and pork, lard of loin, bacon and even pieces of ice. The flavor of the meat is enhanced with a mix of salt, pepper, garlic, nutmeg and allspice. Also highly appreciated is the probusto, a Vallagarina pork sausage whose recipe dates back to the 18th century and consists of finely minced beef, diced beef fat, garlic, salt, pepper, cloves and cinnamon.
How to prepare delicious recipes with cooked cured meats
Napoleon said that a marshal's baton is hidden in every soldier's backpack. As if to say that even the most modest infantryman could reach the top of the command. Paraphrasing the Emperor of France today we can say that frankfurters, mortadella and cooked salami are that hidden ingredient in every kitchen with which it is possible to prepare unique and original recipes, even capable of passing the severe tests of gastronomic talent shows such as Masterchef. If you need an example of a seemingly modest food that helped to create a world-famous recipe, think of stale bread. The great Italian chef Cesare Cardini added it in cubes to a bowl along with the other ingredients he had in the pantry at the time: lettuce, garlic, hard-boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese. He could not imagine it but that improvised salad met with immediate success becoming famous all over the world with the name of Caesar Salad. The moral of this story is that with the right combination of flavors and aromas each ingredient can lead to the creation of a starred recipe.
Wurstel, mortadella and cooked salami have the qualities to overcome the prejudices that reduce them to an ordinary hot dog, a simple filling for a sandwich or a dish to be served with the usual side dish of peas, sauerkraut or mashed potatoes. We give you some suggestions to take full advantage of all their gastronomic qualities. Your imagination and creativity will then create recipes that will be a delicious surprise for family and friends.
Spuma and mousse of mortadella and cooked salami
You can transform cured meats into tasty creams to serve as appetizers or finger food. There are numerous possibilities for presenting a spuma (a foam of food) or a mousse: spreaded on canapés, used as a filling for vol-au-vents, served in small glasses as a spoon appetizer or also proposed as a side dish. The preparation is very simple and fast because with a blender you can quickly blend the salami and mix it with all the other ingredients, such as cheeses, vegetables and aromatic herbs. You can also add a spoonful of liqueur to add a special flavor note. Do you want a suggestion for a juicy summer dish? Try some bites of fresh melon with a side of mortadella mousse.
Fillings for tortellini and ravioli
The great Italian gastronomist Pellegrino Artusi indicated mortadella as one of the fundamental ingredients of the filling of tortellini alla bolognese. In Trentino, on the other hand, you can find ravioli in broth where the pastry contains blutwurst, a spiced sausage with garlic. We also suggest you to use finely minced mortadella, salami and frankfurters, seasoned with pepper, nutmeg and Parmesan, as a filling for the homemade pasta.
First courses with frankfurters, mortadella and cooked salami
Pasta and rice salad with sausage slices and cubes of mortadella and salami are simple and very popular dishes. You can make the recipes of these first courses even more original by combining the cured meats with other ingredients that enhance their flavour: cooking cream, flaked truffles, white wine and fresh tomato-based sauces. The finely minced meat can also be added to mashed potatoes, flour and eggs to make gnocchi with cooked salami.
Second courses with cooked sausages
Think about the lot of ways of cooking and serving chicken, a beef tenderloin or a pork rib. Then adapt recipes such as chicken in foil, fillet with fondue or roast in beer to frankfurters, mortadella and cooked salami. Remember that the right side dishes can enhance the meat and that you can dress the salami not only with mustard and ketchup but also with sauces such as those with cheese, walnuts or pesto.
Europrodotti supplies combinations of natural aromas and spices that enrich the flavor of any type of cooked or smoked salami. Our solutions will allow you to become cooking wizards by enhancing even simple slices or cubes of mortadella, frankfurters or cooked salami, transforming them into original and delicious dishes.