By Veronica Lavenia
Italian Notebook is a window to Italy, live from Italy. Food recipes, destinations to discover the treasures of Italian food, practical advice on how to eat like a true Italian, and selecting the best organic seasonal ingredients are all elements of Lavenia’s vibrant column.
Chocolate salami reminds me of my childhood and even now I consider it one of my favorite desserts. You only have to try one slice and you’ll be craving more. The unique thing about this recipe is the Marsala dessert Sicilian wine which gives a special and delicious taste to the dessert. If you prefer, you can replace it with another fine Sicilian dessert wine like Passito di Pantelleria (Pantelleria raisin wine from Pantelleria Island).
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
150 g dry cookies (digestive)
100 g light brown sugar
60 g cocoa powder
100 g chopped roasted hazelnuts
100 g roasted pistachios
1 organic egg
300 g dark chocolate 70%
250 g butter
1 coffee cup Marsala Sicilian wine dessert or Rum (to be avoided if the cake is made for children)
Directions:
Chop the cookies and add them to brown sugar, cocoa powder, hazelnuts and pistachios. Lightly beat the egg with a fork and add to the mixture of cookies.
Mix the dark chocolate (previously dissolved in a double boiler with butter) and the coffee cup of Marsala wine.
Pour the dough onto parchment paper, sprinkle the parchment with cocoa powder and work it up to shape into a sausage.
Keep dough wrapped in parchment paper and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
Remove the salami from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.
You can present it in its entirety on a serving dish (adding, if necessary, another dusting of cocoa powder) or sliced.
About the Writer
I was born and still live in Italy. My mother and my father passed down their love for travel, passion for cooking and organic sustainable food to me.
I have a University Degree in Spanish Languages and Literatures and a Phd in Iberian and Ibero-American Languages and Literatures. While I was teaching Spanish Language at University (Faculty of Economics) and after writing Gianni Clerici’s authorized biography (best Italian Tennis Journalist, Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006), I began writing about my passion for cooking. My literary education is the essential ingredient for a methodological approach to professional food writing.
My first cookbook “Dolci Leggerezze”, published in Italy, is about homemade dairy and gluten-free cakes and pies. Recipes born out of a personal experience that helped me discover how useful is to share tasty and healthy alternatives, also suitable for those who do not suffer from allergies. Some of my recipes were also published in Italian food magazines.
I believe in the value of home cooking as an instrument of culture, knowledge and education. To cook in a simple, tasty and healthy way you don’t need cooking classes. All you need is passion and curiosity. Knowing the ingredients, their seasonality and origin, means to cook in a conscious way. Knowledge makes the difference.
Feature photo by Giuseppe Giustolisi
