I stumbled across this stuff at a local place (Providore in Portland, OR if you happen to be in the area, you won’t be disappointed) and it’s some of the best salami I’ve ever had. It’s imported from a company named Levoni and it’s hard to find other folks that even make the stuff. It also shares a name with some type of flat bread (which doesn’t look too bad either) that I bet would make a heck of a sandwhich.
Anyway, the Levoni site gives the description, “The mild schiacciata, seasoned with a knowledgeable mixture of quarry salt, Tellicherry black pepper, Basilicata pepper and natural flavouring has an authentic, decided, clean taste. The spicy one is just that bit more enveloping and appetizing. When both are sliced, you can appreciate the harmonious combination of the two pork parts, shoulder and pancetta, with their differing tones of red, interspersed with white pieces of fat…”
The tag on in read:
And this is how is looks:
If you hold it up to the light, it darn near looks like stained glass. Quite fatty, but super delicious.
My first Umai experiment still hasn’t finished yet, but I think I’m bit by that bug. Both the company in Italy that makes it and the store I bought it from lists ‘pancetta’ as being an ingredient. I guess my questions/thoughts are:
Is this really made with already finished pancetta as an ingredient in something else? That would be taking finished pancetta, slicing, and mixing it with uncured pork and spices and stuffing that? That seems all kinds of dangerous to me for some reason, especially getting your cure #2 amounts right. Then I thought maybe they meant raw pork shoulder and raw pork belly mixed together, which I could see, but I think they would kick you out of Italy if you called pork belly pancetta without it being the real deal.
I’m having fun with Umai, but want to make sure I’m being careful. It would be a cool project making pancetta (which I already want to do anyways) and turning into something else. I just have some serious hesitations about adding something that’s finished into something raw. Last thing I would want to do is make someone sick.
Would love to hear your thoughts, thanks.
Anyway, the Levoni site gives the description, “The mild schiacciata, seasoned with a knowledgeable mixture of quarry salt, Tellicherry black pepper, Basilicata pepper and natural flavouring has an authentic, decided, clean taste. The spicy one is just that bit more enveloping and appetizing. When both are sliced, you can appreciate the harmonious combination of the two pork parts, shoulder and pancetta, with their differing tones of red, interspersed with white pieces of fat…”
The tag on in read:
And this is how is looks:
If you hold it up to the light, it darn near looks like stained glass. Quite fatty, but super delicious.
My first Umai experiment still hasn’t finished yet, but I think I’m bit by that bug. Both the company in Italy that makes it and the store I bought it from lists ‘pancetta’ as being an ingredient. I guess my questions/thoughts are:
Is this really made with already finished pancetta as an ingredient in something else? That would be taking finished pancetta, slicing, and mixing it with uncured pork and spices and stuffing that? That seems all kinds of dangerous to me for some reason, especially getting your cure #2 amounts right. Then I thought maybe they meant raw pork shoulder and raw pork belly mixed together, which I could see, but I think they would kick you out of Italy if you called pork belly pancetta without it being the real deal.
I’m having fun with Umai, but want to make sure I’m being careful. It would be a cool project making pancetta (which I already want to do anyways) and turning into something else. I just have some serious hesitations about adding something that’s finished into something raw. Last thing I would want to do is make someone sick.
Would love to hear your thoughts, thanks.
