Category: Salami

Spicy Mac And Cheese Bites

How many of you have ever had a horror day on the cooking front?  The day when nothing went right?  So It was with me when I went to make the “Baked Curly Shells and Proscuitto Cake” recipe from the November 2002 editiion of Super Food Ideas mag.  For various reasons, about to be elaborated upon, these morphed into these spicy mac and cheese bites!

Spicy Mac And Cheese Bites

Spicy Mac and Cheese Bites – The First Error

The base of the OG recipe was ricotta cheese.  I went to the deli section of my local supermarket.  “Can I have 250 grams of ricotta cheese please?”

The little gobshite behind the counter (believe me, the truth of this statement will bear out) said.  “We don’t have any”.

“Ermmm…..could you check out the back please?

He went out the back but he returned far to quickly to have checked for anything.

“We don’t have any””

Ok.  So I was shopping at around 7pm so the proper, non-supermarket, deli was closed.  The tubs of ricotta in the dairy aisle  were all the size of small swimming pools.  I didn’t want to be spending the rest of the week finding recipes to use that much left over riicotta.    So I decided to use bechamel, for which I had all the ingredients for at home.

“‘Ok, no worries, can I have 12 slices of proscuitto please?

“‘Of what?”‘

“PROSCUITTO”

Let me be clear, we’re still not at the point where he became a gobshite.

Spicy Mac And Cheese Bites2

 

Spicy Mac and Cheese Bites – The Second Error

So I got my proscuitto.  Sorry, PROSCUITTO.  And headed home.  Boiled up my macaroni.  Made my bechamel.  Mixed my macaroni and bechamel together.  It was a little bland.  I added some chilli flakes.  It’s the Sri Lankan in me.  I like things a little spicy.  I then went to line my muffin tins with proscuitto.  (Just like last weeks cupcakes, I was making smaller versions of these “cakes” to work with my picnic theme.

I opened my pack from the deli and was faced not with proscuitto but with Sopressa!  Which is an incredibly spicy salami.

Now my first ever job was in the supermarket deli.  Never ever would I have mixed up proscuitto and sopressa!!!!  And this my friends, is what made him a gobshite!

But by now it was close to 9pm.  I  did have the energy to get back in the car, drive back to Woolworths, explain what had happened, swap out the sopressa for proscuitto, drive home…

So I remembered that old Italian adage.  “When life gives you sopressa, make….mac and cheese bites anyway”‘.

These little mac and cheese bites were so good!  I would probably drop the chilli from the pasta mix when making again though as, with the sopressa they were really quite fiery! They were also good reheated and cold / ambient temperature!  So would be great picnic food.

The OG Recipe

Baked curly shells

My Spicy Mac and Cheese Bites

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Spicy Mac And Cheese Bites

Spicy mac and cheese!  Perfect for picnics, lunch or anytime!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 250g curly shells or other macaroni
  • 12 slices or proscuitto or 24 slices of sopressa
  • Chilli flakes (optional)
  • 2 tbsp bread crumbs
  • Butter

Cheese Sauce

  • 500ml milk
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 50g butter
  • 100g grated vintage cheddar cheese
  • Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
  • salt and pepper

Olive oil spray  / butter for the mufffin tin

Instructions

Cheese Sauce

  • Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
  • Add the flour to the butter and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.
  • Gradually add the milk, whisking all the while to remove any lumps.
  • Cook, stirring all the time, until the mixture boils and thickens.
  • Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until the sauce is the consistency of custard.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat, add stir through the cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add a pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg and some chilli flakes if desired.

Macaroni

  • Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the packet. You can reduce the cooking time a bit as the macaroni will be baked later.
  • Heat your oven to 180C.
  • Mix the cheese sauce into the macaroni.
  • Grease your muffin tin.  I prefer to use a spray for this but you can use butter or olive oil if you prefer.
  • Line the bottom and sides of each muffin cup with sopressa or proscuitto.  Cut the proscuitto into 2 pieces.
  • Spoon the pasta mixture into the lined muffin cups.
  • Sprinkle with breadcrumbs
  • Dot with butter
  • Place into the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the tops are nicely browned.
  • Let sit for a few minutes before removing from the pan.

 

Spicy Mac And Cheese Bites3jpg

Let me know if you make either recipe!
Have a great week!

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Salami on a Sushi Platter?

Kon’nichiwa friends!  Today we are making Sushi but not any old sushi.  Today, I am using the recipe for  O’Sushi contained in the Japanese chapter of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972).  It’s mostly sushi as we know it with one notable exception.  Yes, that is salami in the middle of the plate!

O-Sushi 1972 1

For this recipe, I wanted to put myself into the shoes of a housewife from 1972 who had never tasted or seen sushi before.  So, for the purposes of this post, this is me, using my new-fangled microwave to zip up some delightful treats for the kids.

And later tonight when they are in bed I am going to make some fancy pants Japanese food for date night with the hubby because we like walking on the wild side.  Just look at the massive pocket on my denim overalls dress.  If that doesn’t scream living on the edge, I don’t know what does.  Except for maybe my cork platform sandals.

1970's house wife

O-Sushi The Recipe.

Boil some rice in the usual fashion.  Prepare a sauce of vinegar, sugar and salt whilst it is cooking, using 2 tsps sugar to 1 tbsp vinegar.

How much salt Good Housekeeping?  And what do you mean boil rice in the usual fashion?  I’ve never boiled rice in my life.  Good lord, step one and already I need to phone a friend?

1970's house wife 2

Sheila?  I’m making the sushi…su….shi…It’s Japanese.  Only  I don’t know how to boil rice or how much salt to add to the sauce?  What do you mean my hair, face, clothes and kitchen seem different?  I’m not interested in continuity I’m interested in salt and getting laid tonight!  This is date night sushi Sheila so quit with the comments and help me with the rice…oh…ok…thanks.

The rice should be dried and cooled quickly and the juice is shaken over it whilst it cools.

WTF?  Where am I supposed to get juice from?  Oh…the vinegar sauce is the juice?  Why did they suddenly decide to call it juice?  And how quickly does this rice need to be dried and cooled?  Maybe I’ll just pop it in the fridge and shake the juice / sauce over it from there?  Will that work?

Vintage house wife 3

Ok, next step.

Form the rice into small flat rolls or cakes and garnish with any of the following: Boiled prawns

O-Sushi 1972 2

Smoked Salmon

Smoked Salmon Sushi

Raw Fish

Raw Fish Sushi

 

Tinned fish; Anchovy fillets; ham or any other cold meat thinly sliced;

Salami sushi

A thin omelette seasoned with salt and sugar, edible seaweed, or any salad vegetable

Omelette Sushi

Place the garnish on top of or around the rice cakes.  Alternatively, cylindrical cakes can  be made with a filling in the centre and and thin layer of egg, seaweed, etc around the outside.

Well, mercy sakes alive, it looks like I’ve just made proper some Japanese O’Sushi….I really hope hubby likes it!

Sushi Plate 1972

 

The Following Day – The Sushi Wrap Up

1970's house wife 2

Hello Sheila? I”m just calling to fill you in on date night last night. Yes, it went very well.  The food was all very tasty but we both agree.  Raw fish will never really catch on here…it’s just too out there for most people! The salami sushi though? That was the bomb! I can see people lining up in the streets for some of that! …. The sex?  No, nothing, I caught a cold from standing in front of the open fridge for and hours and shaking juice on the rice and had to go to bed early.

1970's sushi plate

Have a great week!

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PS – For a real insight into the art of making sushi, watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Sportsman’s Saturday Salad

Sportsman's Saturday Salad1

Great name huh? It just kinda rolls off the tongue.  Sportsman’s Saturday Salad. I have no idea why it is called that; but the name instils visions of mad hungry footballers coming home after a match demanding to be fed.  This is a relatively hearty salad with beans providing the bulk and salami and eggs providing the protein. I guess it is kind of a man salad….even though I tried to make it as pretty as poss.

Sportsman's Saturday Salad1
Sportsman’s Saturday Salad1

This gem comes from…huh…where else?  Rosemary Mayne Wilson’s Salad’s for All Seasons.  And it’s good.  Really good! 

He had a couple of mates coming over to do….things…in the garden pertaining to retaining walls and welding and digging post holes. Maybe.  I’m pretty sure it was something like that.  Whenever they started talking my brain did that thing they do in the Snoopy cartoons when the teachers talk….

I may have even started snoring at a few points. But anyway, there were, if not exactly sportsmen in my house at least some semblance of burly-ish men and they not only ate this salad, they wolfed it. I also pretty much ate my own weight of it so it is by no means limited to sportsmen. 

I did make it on a Saturday but believe me, this would be good any day of the week!

Sportsman's Saturday Salad2
Sportsman’s Saturday Salad2

Here is the original recipe and below you will find my tweaked version.

 Sportsman's Saturday Salad recipejpgCapsicums repeat on me so I always sub something else into recipes containing them. In this instance it was chopped cherry tomatoes.
I also subbed in 5 bean mix for the kidney beans because that’s what I had in my cupboard.
And I happened to have some of the saffron yoghurt left over from when I made the super delicious eggplant dish from Perisana so I used that instead of mayo. You have to waste not, want not with the saffron, that stuff’s exxy!

Sportsmans Saturday Salad
Sportsmans Saturday Salad

Because I am obsessed with finger food, I made mine into bite size portions but you could also make a big salad as per the original.

This is great, quick, easy tasty and I thought it looked pretty as well.

And remember, it’s not just for Sportsmen.  Or Saturdays.  It’s barely even salad.  It is really badly named.  But delicious!

Try it!

And have a fabulous week.

And let me know if you have any food you think is incorrectly named!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2

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Cheesy Eggplant and Salami Sandwiches

Memories, misty water colour memories….

Eggplant Salami Sandwich
Eggplant Salami Sandwich

As I enter week two of Paleo, there is one recipe that I made earlier this year that is lingering in my mind as containing pretty much all the sins of Paleo but all the glories of delicious food.  Funny, the things I thought I would be craving – coffee, chocolate, hummus…not so much…but if you put one of these in front of my right now, I would step on you to get one.

I found this recipe in the same folder I found the recipe for the Smoked Trout Empanadas.I’ve changed it a bit to include the chili and the original chopped the salami and mozzarella and mixed them together.

I’m not sure if the lure here is:

  • The gooey, melty cheese
  • The crispy breadcrumbs
  • The spicy salami
  • The silky sauteed eggplant
  • The slighty sweet tomato sauce
  • The little hit of chilli
  • Or all of the above

But believe me, the sirens are singing this song loud and strong.  And you will be too if you make them.  So crispy, so cheesy, so gooooood….

I’m not going to say much this time (because I might cry).  I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Eggplant Salami Sandwiches 2
Eggplant Salami Sandwiches 2

 

Eggplant and Salami Sandwiches 3
Eggplant and Salami Sandwiches 3

 

Eggplant Salami Sandwich 4
Eggplant Salami Sandwich 4

 

Eggplant Salami Sandwich 5
Eggplant Salami Sandwich 5
Eggplant and Salami Sandwiches 6
Eggplant and Salami Sandwiches 6

Trying to remember, the way we were…

Have a fabulous week!

PLEASE eat some cheese for me.

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2

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Friday Night – Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella and Mint (Spice Peddlers)

Hands up who loves a pizza on a Friday night?

Just as I suspected. Everyone

(If you didn’t put your hands up, you’re dead to me)

Chef Boy-ar-dee Pizza
Chef Boy-ar-dee Pizza

And what’s better than a pepperoni pizza?  Nothing!Except maybe this:

Vintage Pizza Party 3
Vintage Pizza Party 3

And what’s better than this recipe for Pepperoni, Mozzarella and Mint  Pizza?  Absolutely nothing! Although The Gaylords come a very close second.

I adapted this recipe from My Table: Food for Entertaining by Pete Evans, mainly just to make it a bit quicker.  I’m far too lazy to make pizza dough on a Friday night so my base of choice is pita bread and I use a bought tomato paste mixed with some garlic and herbs for the base. If you want to be entirely DIY, Pete’s recipe is here.

Pepperoni Pizza with Bocconcini, Olives and Mint
Pepperoni Pizza with Bocconcini, Olives and Mint

My quick version is here:

"Pepper"oni, Mozzarella & Mint Pizza

This is so good – the combination of the pepper mix and the mint just lift this out of normal pizza realm into a taste sensation that wil get your tastebuds dancing just like the hipster groovers in the photo below.

Vintage Pizza Party Chef Boy-Ar-Dee
Vintage Pizza Party Chef Boy-Ar-Dee

And if that plain old thing got them going,  I guess my version would have had them doing a bit of this…

Or maybe some of this:

 

Just not this…

Yep, this is Friday night perfection on a plate!

Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella and Mint
Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella and Mint

Yay, it’s Christmas!  I’ll celebrate with a very special cocktail next time round.

Have a great week!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2