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Salama da Sugo
The undisputed symbol of Ferrarese gastronomy, the salamina—as the salama da sugo is affectionately called—although traditionally a Christmas dish, has never been missing from the tables of gourmets.
The earliest records date back to the 15th century, as evidenced by a letter from Lorenzo the Magnificent to Ercole II d'Este. Two centuries later, in a 1722 poem entitled "Salameide," the most beautiful stanzas are dedicated precisely to the salama, which then triumphantly reappears in Alfredo Panzini's famous "Dizionario moderno."
An unusual mixture of pork meats, flavored with spices and red wine, sometimes enhanced with Marsala or Brandy, the salama acquires its unmistakable flavor after a long aging process in which it is left to dry in its rounded casing, hung from the ceiling or under ashes in a cool, airy, and strictly dark place.
The writer and great gourmet Mario Soldati used to say of the salamina that "on its own, it is more than a sufficient and satisfying meal."
Still produced according to artisanal criteria, this tasty sausage can be purchased in numerous butcher shops in Ferrara, which by ancient tradition guarantee a production of great quality.
Before cooking, the salama must be soaked in lukewarm water for an entire night, then wrapped in a fine cloth and immersed in a pot, where it must simmer for at least five or six hours, suspended from a wooden stick resting on the edges to prevent it from touching the sides and bottom of the container.
The salama is then served piping hot, the meat soft and flavored by its precious and dense sauce, laid on a bed of soft mashed potatoes and accompanied by Merlot or Fortana del Bosco Eliceo wines with a dry and velvety taste.
As a preliminary preparation, the salama should be soaked in lukewarm water overnight to soften the external crusts, which should then be gently brushed off. It should then be immersed, preferably wrapped in a fine cloth, in a pot of water but without touching the bottom: a wooden stick resting on the edges will support the salama with its own string. The water in the pot should be simmered for over 6 hours, topping up when necessary, but without letting it stop boiling. The casing must not split: its sauce would be irretrievably lost. If you prefer to cook it in a bain-marie, the cooking time should be suitably extended. Special plastic cooking bags can also be used to wrap the salama. Once cooked, it should be freed from the string and cut at the top, creating an opening that allows you to scoop out the soft mixture with a spoon. It is not recommended to cut it into wedges, unless it is served cold. Ideally, however, it should be presented piping hot, accompanied by mashed potatoes. The recommended wine pairing is the robust Bosco Eliceo or another good quality red.
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