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Capocollo
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Description
Name: Capocollo
Product category: Salami made from a part of the pig's neck
Area of production: Throughout Italy
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Of all the numerous traditional salami products of which Italy may justly boast, capocollo deserves a special place of honor. It is made with a cut of meat that comes from the pig's neck (collo in Italian and hence the name of this pork product), masterfully seasoned with salt, garlic and various spices. In the region of Calabria in the far south of Italy it's customary to soak it in wine vinegar before beginning the aging process, in the Alto Adige or South Tyrol regions in the far north of Italy, they create it with pepper, juniper berries and bay leaves. Yet another preparation method is practiced for the famous capocollo of Martina Franca, in the Southern Italian province of Taranto, involving a light smoking process. Whatever seasonings or preserving techniques may be used, the important thing is to avoid overwhelming the characteristic flavor of the meat with spices or other flavoring procedures. In the southern region of Abruzzo, capocollo tends to be referred to as lonza. In this case the cut of meat, quite lean, is traditionally processed with rock salt or put into brine before being packed into the salami skin and left to dry and age for at least 60 days.
The most popular way of eating the lonza from Abruzzo and capocollo in general, for that matter, is to serve it with fresh, crisp-crusted bread and a nice glass of red wine. Another way to serve it is to cut it into fairly thin strips and mix it with a soft, spreadable cheese. The resulting mixture is then spread over the leaves of Belgian endive, creating a delightful antipasto that is also easy to prepare and guaranteed to please, thanks to the lively tang of the salami used.
The lonza can also serve as the main ingredient in a very tasty pasta sauce. All you have to do is once again cut it into thin strips and sauté it in a little olive oil together with plenty of chopped scallion. People who are fond of cheese can further enhance this topping by adding Caciofiore from around the city of Aquila in Abruzzo, or another soft-bodied cheese, cutting it into little cubes and sprinkling them over the pasta (excellent with Penne Rigate). Another great salami-cheese combination can be created with Tortiglioni, serving it au gratin with scamorza and capocollo.
Here's a little trick: in order to easily remove all the skin that covers the capocollo, all you have to do is wrap the capocollo in a damp cloth for a few hours and wait until the skin softens (obviously, this procedure only works if the casing is made from natural animal intestine and not a synthetic material).
When it comes to selecting an appropriate wine, for the pasta with Caciofiore we would suggest a Nero d'Avola or a Montefalco, whereas in the case of the stuffed endive leaves, it would probably be best to go with something like a Schiava trentina or a Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, preferably chilled.
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