May Newsletter 2006

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Hi,

Father's Day is not that far off...less than a month now. If your Father or your Man is King of the Kitchen (Or even thinks he is!) or just loves to putz in the kitchen now is the time to bring him some new toys and at really good prices.

MyChefsFavorites.com is pleased to offer in its SPRING 2006 PRODUCT SPECIALS some really serious price reductions...from 30 to over 50% off list price. Serious savings and quality, useful tools too. Everything from Gastroflex Molds to Peppermills to a Couscousier Set to Furi Knives to Non-stick Sauté pans, to Decorating Tips and Pastry Tools and Tomato Slicers . There are well over a hundred items and you can save hundreds of dollars...do make someone happy for Father's Day, even if it's yourself!

These prices will be good from May 15th through July 15th, 2006.

You can go to MyChefsFavorites.com and find 'SPECIAL OFFERS" in the index for a complete listing of these items on sale or you can click on this "SPECIAL OFFERS LINK" right here and now.

Thanks for reading. Do let me hear from you.

Sincerely,

Don

Read on for some good information! I hope you get as hungry as I did working on this. It makes me also want to sell food on the site. How would you feel about that? Have fun!

As I have frequently eaten, read and heard...there're sausages and then there're sausages. I've lived and traveled a number of years in Europe and Mexico and have partaken of lots of sausages and European cuts of meats, fresh and cured.. I must confess, however, that I never really fully comprehended or appreciated all the signage, labels and the differences/diversity of the art.

I recently read a magazine article on the art of homemade charcuterie---sausages, hams and other cold cuts being the latest passion of America's top chefs. This, then, gave rise to a bit of research which provides the following which I hope you will find informative. Call it:

SAUSAGES 101

CHARCUTERIE – Taken from the term cuiseur de chair, meaning “cooker of meat,” charcuterie has been considered a French culinary art at least the 15th century. It refers to the products, particularly (but not limited to) pork specialties such as pâtes, billettes, galantines, crépinettes, etc., which are made and sold in a delicatessen-style shop, also called a charcuterie.

CHORIZO – A highly seasoned, coarsely ground pork sausage flavored with garlic, chili powder and other spices. It’s widely used in both Mexican and Spanish cookery. Mexican chorizo is made of fresh pork, while the Spanish version uses smoked pork. The casing should be removed before cooking. Chorizo makes a tasty addition to many dishes including casseroles, soups, stews and enchiladas.

COPPA – Cooked and pressed salt-cured boneless pork neck that is brined and stuffed into a casing, then air-dried.

MORTADELLA – This smoked sausage originated in Bologna, Italy, and is the original from which the slang name “baloney” came. It’s made with ground beef and pork, cubes of pork fat and seasonings. The Italian version, which is not imported because it requires additional cooking steps before the U.S. government will approve it, is air-dried and has a smooth, delicate flavor. Canned cooked versions are imported from Italy but do not taste like the original. American mortadella is basically bologna with cubes of pork fat and garlic flavoring. The Germans produce an excellent mortadella that contains pistachio nuts.

PÂTÉ AND PÂTÉ EN CROÛTE – Pâté is French for “pie.” This word, with accent over the “e”, generally refers to various elegant well-seasoned ground meat preparations. A pâté can be satiny-smooth and spreadable or, like country pâté, coarsely textured. It can be made from a finely ground or chunky mixture of meats (such as pork, veal, liver or ham), fish, poultry, game, vegetables, etc. Seasonings and fat are typically also included in the mixture. Pâtés may be cooked in a crust, in which case they a referred to as pâté en croûte. They may also be cooked in a pork fat-lined container called a terrine (or any other similar sized mold), in which case they are called pâté en terrine. Traditional parlance says that when such a mixture is cooked and served in a terrine the dish is also called a terrine, and when unmolded it becomes a pâté. Today, however, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Pâtés may be cold or hot and are usually served as a first course or appetizer.

PROSCIUTTO – Italian for “ham,” prosciutto is a term broadly used to describe a ham that has been seasoned, salt-cured (but not smoked) and air-dried. The meat is pressed which provides a firm, dense texture. Italy’s parma ham is the true prosciutto, although others are also now made in the United States. Italian prosciuttos are designated prosciutto cotto, which is cooked and prosciutto crudo, which is raw (though, because of its curing, is ready to eat). This type of Italian ham is also labeled according to its city or region of origin, for example prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto di San Daniele. Prosciutto is available in gourmet and Italian markets and some supermarkets. It is usually cut and sold in transparently thin slices. Prosciutto is best eaten as is and is a classic first course when served with melon or figs. It can also be added at the last minute to foods such as pastas or vegetables. Prolonged cooking will toughen it.

RILLETTES – Meat, usually pork but also rabbit, goose, poultry, fish, etc., that is slowly cooked in seasoned fat and then pounded or pulverized (along with some of the fat) into a paste. This mixture is then packed in small pots, ramekins or other containers and covered with a thin layer of fat. Rillettes can be stores for several weeks in the refrigerator providing the fatty seal is not broken. This mixture, resembling a smooth pâté, is served cold, usually as an appetizer spread on toast or bread, oftentimes with cornichons.

SALAMI – The name applies to a family of sausages similar to cervelats. Both styles are uncooked but safe to eat without cooking because they have been cured. Salamis, however, tend to be more boldly seasoned (particularly with garlic), coarser, drier and, unlike cervelats, rarely smoked. They are usually air-dried and vary in size, shape, seasoning and curing process. Though they are usually made from a mixture of beef and pork, the kosher versions are strictly beef. Among the best-known Italian salamis are Genoa (pork and veal, seasoned with pepper, garlic and red wine), cotto (pork and beef, flavored with garlic and studded with peppercorns,) Milano (pork, beef and pork fat, seasoned with garlic, pepper and white wine) and Napoli (pork and beef, spiced with both red and black pepper). Other salamis include Danish (finely ground pork and veal, lightly spiced), French (beef and pork, variously seasoned with pepper and/or herbs) and German (a smoked combination of finely ground pork and beef). The non-pork kosher salamis are cooked and semi-soft. Italian-American favorites include Alesandro and Alpino. Frizzes and pepperoni are also salami-type sausages. With the casing uncut, whole dry salamis will keep for several years. Once cut, they should be tightly wrapped and can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Salami is best served at room temperature and can be eaten as a snack or as part of an antipasto platter, or chopped and used in dishes such as soups and salads.

SALSICCE - Italian term for sausages.

SALUMI - Italian term for all cured meats, including salami, that are eaten sliced.

SAUCISSON - French term for a large, smoke-cured sausage.

SERRANO HAM - A dried, air-cured ham from Spain.

SOPRESSATA - Salami made from pork meat and fat flavored with lemon peel and spices.

TÊTE DE VEAU - Headcheese, made from ground calf's head and seasonings.

WURST OR WÜRST - General German term for sausages...lots of different ones: Bratwurst, knackwurst, wienerwurst etc, etc.

Source material for a lot of the above is The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst. This tome is defined as "COMPREHENSIVE DEFINITIONS OF NEARLY 6000 FOOD, DRINK AND CULINARY TERMS." A Barron's Publication. I highly recommend it, couldn't live without it!

Dear readers and customers, be in touch...your comments are always welcome.

Sincerely,
Don Shipman,
MyChefsFavorites.com
Mandoline-Slicer.com