Saturday
- Paella
Sunday
- “Spatchcocked” Roast Chicken, Black Olive-Cucumber Salad
Monday Â
- Gordo’s Slow-Cooker Beef & Rice, Salad
Tuesday
- Take-Out
Wednesday
- “The Dream” Pizza (w/ leftover chicken)
Saturday
Sunday
Monday Â
Tuesday
Wednesday
Who doesn’t love salami? Â Sliced thinly on a sandwich with good bread, or chunked on a delicious cheese plate, it’s one of our favorite charcuterie items. Â We even had it on a pizza once when we were visiting Rome. Â While many claim to dislike the fatty, salty salume, we’re not afraid to admit that salt with fat is among our most-preferred food combinations, and we especially enjoy this pairing in salami, which we pretty much always have in the fridge. Â So when Mrs. Wheelbarrow declared that November’s Charcutepalooza challenge was curing, which involves a recap of two prior challenges — grinding and stuffing — with the addition of a whole new endeavor — fermenting — there was never any doubt in our minds that we would make salami. Â Dan was so excited about this new challenge that he convinced me to buy a wine fridge to use as a curing chamber (more on that later.) Â I became less excited (and more than a little apprehensive) when I learned that salami is essentially ground raw pork, seasoned with spices and beneficial bacteria, then hung in a cool and humid environment for a few weeks to cure. Â No, you did not miss the step where the raw pork is cooked — it isn’t. Â As much as I love salami, I never really stopped to think about how it is made, or even really what it is, when eating it. Â We’ve learned a lot from the Charcutepalooza challenges this year, and a greater appreciation for the origins of food and the process of getting it to the table is chief among our new-found charcuterie skill set. Â As always, we owe a special shout-out to the Charcutepalooza founders, Mrs. Wheelbarrow and The Yummy Mummy for creating this “year of meat” and getting us to try new things in the kitchen each month. Â Thanks to you guys, we may never eat store-bought salami again!