The Salami doth make the difference...

I know I've posted about a Spicy Salami Pasta before although I named it with a fancy Italian sounding name.

This version is a little different too because unlike what I did before, I didn't 'adulterate' the salami with tomatoes or capsicum this time. I did however, add in some mushrooms. The biggest taste differentiator however is the quality of the Salami. This salami was really spicy, a lot more meaty and I definitely used a whole lot more than the last time! It's true that quality ingredients give you a better tasting meal and this Salami was really top notch!





I made this dish just last weekend when some good friends,Balan and Mae, who have since migrated to Melbourne, came over for a visit. We had originally invited them over for dinner but we had to change it to lunch. Another good friend, Lynn, who also knows Balan and Mae well came over too.

Since it was lunch, I kept it fairly simple by just making this pasta together with my Swedish Meatballs. The Lovely Wife had actually bought a bottle of Lingonberry Jam from Ikea and our guests actually thought the meatballs were from Ikea!

The Salami was some that The Lovely Wife's brother had brought back for us from his recent trip to Melbourne. It was really spicy and covered in chilli flakes so there was really no need to add more chilli.

I simply chopped up the salami into strips, sliced some mushrooms, fried them all together with a little oregano and basil and then tossed the whole thing together with spaghetti. What could be simpler??!!

Taste wise, it was pretty darn awesome or as some of my blogging buddies like to say, Pretty Dharm Awesome! Ha Ha!



I'm submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights created by my friend Ruth at Once Upon a Feast and hosted this week by Pam at Side Walk Shoes.

Fettucine Piccante con Salame ed il Fungo

Quite a mouthful isn't it! Yet something that would look pretty impressive on a menu. For those of you that don't speak Italian, Fettucine Piccante con Salame ed il Fungo translates to Spicy Fettucine with Salami and Mushrooms. Incidentally I don't speak Italian either but the magic of the internet allows me to search for translations and then pretend to be a master linguist. Rather cunning even if I do say so myself!

I always enjoy a spicy pasta and there is nothing better to make a spicy pasta than with hot salami! I had already decided I wanted to make a spicy pasta with hot salami for dinner one Saturday not too long ago. What needed to be done though was to get the right kind of Hot Salami.



The Lovely Wife, the Kids and I all took a trip to a newly opened supermarket not too far from our home. They have a nice Deli with loads of sausages and different kinds of Salami. They were very helpful and more than willing to let us try all the different kinds of salami and we finally settled on a rather spicy Salami - I think it was SPicy Hungarian although I cant quite remember which one we finally settled on!

This is what I did:

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
1 Capsicum (I used Orange as it lends a slightly sweeter taste)
200g Hot Salami
200g Button Mushrooms
100g cherry tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
chilli flakes (to taste)

Method
Chop garlic and sautee with oregano and chilli flakes. Add in sliced mushrooms and cook till soft. Add in the hot salami and cook well. Meanwhile cut the capsicums in large squares and add to the mix. Cook until just tender but still slightly crunchy. Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss together in the hot mixture until the juices start to come out but the tomatoes still hold their shape.
Cook pasta of your choice and mix together with the ingredients till nicely coated. Season with salt and pepper



The kids and the Lovely Wife really enjoyed this. The salami was even spicier after it was cooked but thats what made this a real treat! A nice green salad helped to soothe the spiciness and add some roughage and vitamins to the meal too!

This is my entry to Presto Pasta Nights which is being hosted this time by my lovely friends - the mother and daughter team of Giz and Psychgrad over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen