Dare we say it? Salami is the greatest of all deli meats. Deeply savory and suitably spiced, it transcends the category. We could see ourselves building a charcuterie board with just different types of salami—it’s that good.
If you’re looking for the shining star of your next charcuterie board, look no further than the makers at Veroni. The Veroni salami recipe was conceptualized almost a century ago by five Italian brothers in 1925. What started as a local grocery shop in a small town in the heart of northern Italy (read: Emilia-Romagna), transformed into an internationally beloved Italian meat company. The Veronis continue to own and run their family business and, in 2016, they became the first Italian company to import their 100% made-in-Italy cured meats to the United States.
Salami doesn’t just deserve a spot alongside mixed cheese and olives. There’s different types of the cured meat for various occasions and purposes. Enhance your Italian sandwich with a Salame Toscano that’s full-bodied and dotted with fennel. Or for a kick, try out Veroni’s Salame Calabrese with its enticing red color and lively combination of hot spices. Sounds to us like it would sing on pizza.
Here are some ways to further welcome salami into your life. Mangiamo! (Or “Let’s eat!”)
Crisp it up
For those that prefer their bacon extra crispy, you’ll crumble when you crisp up your salami. The process is too simple not to try out yourself. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Slice your log as thin as you can without putting your fingers at risk. Pop those bad boys on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes and voilà! Use it where you would bacon bits: atop baked potatoes, for a textural component in salads, or directly into your mouth, like chips.
Get cracking
Eggs and salami are a match made in culinary heaven. The salami lends a salty richness to the eggs, simliar to the result you’d get from the classic bacon-and-egg pairing. The difference? Salami also imparts its unique seasonings that simply cannot be replicated. Get it crisp in the pan before adding the eggs for a scramble or bake it in. Quiche, frittata, omelet? There are no wrong answers here.
Pair with pasta
It should come as no surprise that pasta and Italian cheeses and meats belong together. But what is unbelievable are the endless combinations. Swap salami for pancetta in a classic carbonara. Incorporate added depth to linguine and clams. Fortify a simple red sauce with a meaty richness. Go crazy and enrich your macaroni and cheese. There are endless pasta-bilities.
Bake, bake, bake
Salami seems to like to get baked and we’re here for it. It’s undeniably addictive twirled into pinwheels and makes a case for savory madelines that we didn’t know we were missing. Baking salami melts a portion of the fat into the dough in which it sits, imparting its savory flavors. Buon appetito!
Top everything off
There are times when we find that the garnish ends up being the main attraction in a dish… or drink. Salami fights for center stage when it becomes the finishing touch. Salad and soup get an extra pop of flavor with a salami dusting on top. Nachos and toasts have been missing their salami companion (until now). And you would be amiss to not include salami in your bloody mary toppings. We see no bounds when it comes to salami as a garnish.
