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Uncooking That Goose:
Kosher Salami and "Ham" from Italy
Before trying the recipes, please note this Follow-Up,
Summer 2000: We can now report on the results of the goose
ham and salami described in our last issue (below). The ham was a great
success--dark red and succulent, like the best prosciutto ham. But the
salami smelled bad and went into the garbage bin. We think we did not
use enough salt and fat. We'll try again...
"In America," writes Edda Servi Machlin in her fascinating
book, The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews, "where
one can find a number of ready made kosher cold cuts, homemade ones
are a luxury. They were a necessity for us and so we worked to perfect
our skills in preparing them. . . . Undoubtedly, these specialities
involve an investment of labor and some of them can be prepared only
during the cold months. But I am confident that my readers will not
mind the work required when they discover the rewards that await them."
With this encouragement, we plucked up our own courage to prepare
Machlin’s recipes for Salame D’Oca (Goose Salami)
and Proscuitto D’Oca (Goose "Ham"). The results
are now hanging in a corner of the kitchen--one 18-inch "salami"
and one small round "ham." These two interesting objects used
up all the meat in one goose, but we made a large pot of stock with
the bones, one quart of rendered goose fat and a large handful of cracklings
from the skin (which were wonderful on a Caesar salad.)
This list of ingredients is simple:
1 goose
2 cloves garlic, crushed
finely ground Celtic sea salt
pepper
kosher salt
You will also need a sharp, flexible filleting knife, a needle, some
thick thread, a pair of kitchen scissors, a food processor or meat grinder,
and something to use as a weight.
Your goose will probably come with the neck cut out, and a long flap
of neck skin that has been cut open underneath the neck.
Step 1: Using a sharp, flexible knife, make incisions
in the skin of the duck along both sides of the back, starting on either
side of the neck skin and running just above the wings. Join up the
incisions at the back, just above the tail. Carefully peel this skin
off the back of the duck, using your knife to loosen it. Spread out
the entire piece of neck and back skin and carefully remove any excess
fat from the inside, using a flexible knife. (Try not to tear the skin,
but if you do, you can sew up the tears with needle and thread.) Chop
up this fat and reserve. Rub the inside of the skin with crushed garlic
and set aside. This will serve as the salami skin.
Step 2: Carefully remove the thigh-leg pieces and
set aside. (These will be used to make the "ham.") Separate
all the remaining meat, fat and skin from the duck. Trim most of the
fat off the meat and place in a large measuring cup along with the fat
trimmed from the salami skin. Cut up the remaining pieces of skin and
fat and set aside. Place the trimmed carcass and neck in a large pot,
fill with cold water and set aside.
Step 3: Press the meat with the small amount of fat
down in the measuring cup. You should have about 3 cups. Measure 1 teaspoon
fine sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper for each cup of duck. Grind the
meat in a meat grinder or in a food processor and mix well with the
salt and pepper.
Step 4: Sew up the salami skin starting at the narrow
(or neck) end and ending about 5 inches from the other end. Stuff this
with the ground meat. Trim off any excess length of skin, fold over
and sew the salami closed. Prick the skin all over with a needle
to allow air into the salami--this is very important. Attach
a loop of two thicknesses of thread. Hang from a hook in a cool, well
ventilated place. Place a bowl under the salami to catch drips. The
salami will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks, when it can be sliced and eaten.
Step 5: To prepare the "ham," carefully
remove the bones and tendons from each connected leg and thigh piece,
without tearing the skin. Match the two units in mirror image, skin
sides out. With needle and thread, sew the skins together all around.
Place some kosher salt in a small bowl, place the "ham" on
top and add more salt so that the top and sides are completely covered.
Cover with an inverted dish smaller in diameter than the bowl so that
it touches the meat. Place a weight on the dish and keep the bowl in
the upper shelf of the refrigerator for 5 days. After the second or
third day, turn the "ham" over and recover with salt.
Step 6: On the fifth day, remove the "ham"
from the bowl, wash it throughly under cold running water and dry it
carefully. Use needle and thread to attach a loop for hanging the ham.
Hang in a cool, well ventilated place for about 4 weeks. Slice paper
thin and serve with whole grain bread, melon or figs.
Step 7: To render the fat and make cracklings, cut
the skin and fat into pieces and place in a heavy pan over a medium
flame. Cook gently until all the fat is rendered and the pieces of skin
are crisp. Remove these "cracklings" with a slotted spoon
and drain on paper towels. Let the fat cool slightly and pour through
a strainer into a glass jar. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.
(Goose fat is great for frying!)
Step 8: To make stock, add 1/2 cup vinegar
to the pot of bones, bring to a simmer and skim any foam that may come
to the top of the pot. Add 2 onions, 2 peeled carrots
and 2 pieces of celery, all coarsely chopped. Add
several sprigs fresh thyme, tied together and 1 teaspoon
green peppercorns, crushed. Cover and cook gently for 4 to 24 hours.
Strain the stock into containers and refrigerate. Remove any fat that
congeals at the top. (Your dog will love this, as well as the softened
cooked bones!) Store for several days in the refrigerator or for several
months in the freezer. Goose stock can be used in soups and stews.
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