Sweet Salami?

As the fall chill arrives in Tuscany, fresh new chocolates appear in shops all over Italy.The heat of summer melts quality chocolates and chocolate shops feature baked items and gelato to survive.

Perugia in Umbria celebrates with Eurochocolate Festival, a full week of celebrating chocolate in all it’s forms and from all over the world.

When it was originally used in Mexico, chocolate was unsweetened and used for religious ceremonies. The cocao beans were  used in trade and so the plant was the original “money tree”. Italy was one of the first countries to recieve the New World foods, cacao, chili peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and more. They quickly adopted them as their own.

One of my favorite recipes is a play on words. Salami Dolce, sweet salami, is not a pork product but rather a look-a-like.

I have never seen a meat salami in Italy with chocolate in it, but we do create savory dishes which I will post later this week in my Chocolate Celebration for FoodConnect.

Salami Dolce

This is one of my favorites to keep in the freezer as a back-up dessert! Richer and fancier versions sold in pastry shops now have melted chocolate and chopped nuts added to make it more of a candy version. Rolling the outside edges in powdered sugar makes it really look like salame. Here's the recipe for an Italian salame even vegetarians will love!

6 ounces cookie crumbs (best are small rectangular cookies called Marie in Italy, and Petite Beurre in the U.S.)
1/2 cup sugar
5 ounces melted butter
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce grappa (my preference), or Grand Marnier®, Amaretto di Saronno®, Kahlua®, rum, or whiskey

Melt the butter and let it cool.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until it resembles cake batter.

Add the melted butter and cocoa powder. (And more cocoa powder if you want it really dark.)

Crush the cookies in a food processor or with a rolling pin, leaving some pieces a little larger than others so they resemble the fat in a salame.

Form a salame-like shape and roll it in aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm. Unwrap and slice.

Serve with soft whipped cream and fresh berries.