"piedmont" > wrote in message
...
> "Mort" > wrote in message
> ...
>> piedmont wrote:
>>
>>> "Mort" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>> Good news, to me at least. There's a book out on Dry Cured and
>>>> Fermented Sausages that looks like it might be a winner.
>>>>
>>>> The Art of Making Fermented Sausages
>>>> <http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982426712/ref=pe_606_14001560_pe_ar_t1>
>>>>
>>>> I've always liked the Kutas book, and others on the subject,
>>>> but they fall completely short on the subject of fermented
>>>> products. I think this book might fill that niche. Hopefully
>>>> some of the recipes will give my cold smoker something to do
>>>> this winter.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Mort,
>>> I read the description of the book and it sounds interesting, whats th
>>> deal about salami they mentioned and it being fermented, I never heard
>>> of thif fermanted thing with sausage, give us some insight.
>>> piedmont
>>
>> There's two main types of the dried sausage products.
>>
>> One is dried (or semi-dried), but not fermented.
>>
>> The other is dried as well as fermented.
>>
>> The dried products are stuffed as usual, then allowed to
>> slowly dry in a controlled environment. The end product
>> is shelf stable and theoretically doesn't require refrigeration,
>> though I typically do keep most of them in a cooler of some
>> sort. It depends on the degree of drying, which varies.
>>
>> Fermented products also have a starter culture added during mixing.
>> The starter culture adds an organism that grows in the initial
>> drying phase and gives the product a slight tang (it raises the
>> acidity like any fermented product). The higher acidity also
>> contributes to the anti microbial effect. These products are
>> truly shelf stable and can be kept at room temperature
>> indefinitely.
>>
>> Not only that, they're incredibly good. Ever try a really high
>> quality dried salami or pepperoni? They're a work of art.
>> When you add to that a cold smoking step at the end, it
>> turns into one the best foods in the world.
>>
>> Here's one of the few good online sources with in-depth info on
>> making fermented and dry cured products. He's got all kinds of
>> different recipes on sausage making.
>>
>> Len Poli's Site
>> http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/
>>
>> More than just sausage recipes there, too. Also whole muscle meat
>> products like cappacolla and breseola.
>>
>> Here's a source for starter cultures:
>>
>> Allied Kenco Cultures
>> <http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=culture&osCsid =undefined>
>>
>> There's only one other book (besides the above one) I've been
>> able to find with good coverage of the dry curing and fermenting
>> process.
>>
>> Cooking by Hand
>> <http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Hand-Paul-Bertolli/dp/0609608932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263838237&sr=1-1>
>>
>> --
>> Mort
>
>
> Mort,
> Very interesting, much to look over, and I doubt I've ever in my life had
> any good quality salami or pepperoni buying the typical crap in grocery.
> But I think I may make a search in Charlotte for a 'real' sausage maker.
> Thanks! piedmont
>
You can buy Paul Bertolli's fermented sausages at:
http://www.framani.com/our_craft . He is a former chef at Chez Panisse, in
Berkeley, and coauthor with Alice Waters of one of her books. He then was
executive chef at Olivettos in Oakland before plunging into sausage making.
Here's a review of his company on Yelp.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fra-mani-han...alumi-berkeley . One of these
days when I have a spare $100 I'm going to splurge and buy one.

Kent