what a weekend!

Finally I got my computer back and was glad to see what you all have been up to, but alas I would be without my computer again as we were off to the country for the weekend and I could not be bothered taking it with me and purchasing more credit on my wireless usb.  But wow - what a weekend we have had, jam packed with travelling up the Hume Highway, spending time with family and friends, lots of eating and a bit of drinking and of course the annual salami making!

I have never participated in this annual even until now as it has never really interested me however a few years ago, my husbands family considered not making salami anymore and this really hit home to my husband that if he didn't learn and take part in a tradition that he has always grown up with, it would be lost forever.  Thankfully my in-laws still make salami every year, and even though we missed out of making salami with them, we travelled up north with a boot full or pork to make salami with our best friends dad, Sam who owns an Italian Restaurant.

We spent day one cutting the meat off the bone (all 60kgs) of it.  For vegetarians I hope these photos don't put you off, but it is nice to see that there is very little wastage.  Most of the pork is used, the bones are kept for stock and the hooves, tail and other bits used to make crackling or put in a pasta sauce.

Day two started early (and it was 2 degrees) and was spent mincing (twice) and adding all the flavours (paprika, capsicum sauce, pepper, and salt - 1.375 kgs of salt to be exact).  After it is mixed a sample is cooked and eaten to ensure that the flavour is right.  By this stage Sam is offering us wine and whisky (at 8.30am!!).  I opt for a strong coffee!  Next is piping it into the synthetic skins and tying them off with string ready to hang.

We made about 70 salami and the rest of the meat was made into sausages (we added some fennel into our sausages)!

These photos below are of the salami my in-laws made a few weeks back - you can see they are already starting to mature.  Ours will take a while.  Sam will hang them in his shed and smoke them.

It was lovely to capture the tradition of this event and enjoy with close friends and maybe one day we will be teaching our children how to make salami! 

Bon Appetite!