"In my family, there’s Christmas, Easter, tomato sauce day and then salami making, which you simply can’t miss.”
- Carlo Mazzarella, Director, Melbourne Salami Festa.
Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall at someone's salami day? Well here's your chance :). Check out the YouTube clip from the winner's of the inaugural 2012 Melbourne Salami Festa, BGS Group (Bloody Good Salami) for their "best homemade salami". The BGS Group are a group of cousins from the North Eastern suburbs. Their salami day helpers comprises of three generations and it's all hands on deck, commencing just before sunrise and finishing well after sunset. Pot belly stoves are lit, coffee is made in the traditional caffettiera and bacon and egg rolls are cooked on the grill. They feast on a lunch from off cuts of the pigs which is transformed into a slow cooked pork pasta ragu`. The long trestle tables are be adorned with cheese, last years salumi, red wine, salads and crunchy bread.
The mincer machine is drowned out by the sounds of children's laughter and cheeky antics as they come in and out to offer small bouts of assistance. The uncles are quick to criticise the next generation and make comparisons of their own traditional methods of making salumi. Fortunately, this is mostly done in jest so the mood of the day is light and jovial.
18 hours later, there is enough salami and fresh sausages to last a year for all the families present. Notes are taken, ingredients measured and processes documented, in the event that they win or place again in the Melbourne Salami Festa competition, so that it can be replicated the next year. This group like so many families around Melbourne absolutely love their annual salami day! It's not just about creating homemade salami and fresh sausages, it's also about enjoying time together as a family, preserving traditions and creating life long memories for their children.
~ Frank's Hot Italian Salami Recipe ~
For those that have already joined the "salami army", and been to one of our food & beverage courses, then now's the time to transform your suburban garage into a salami and sausage making factory! Try out Frank Bovezza's hot Italian salami recipe below, he's not shy in proclaiming it to be "the best"!
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork
- 28g - 30g fine sea salt (if using a curing compound, reduce salt to 18-20g)
- 5g sweet paprika
- 3g chilli flakes
- 1g cracked black pepper
- 20ml hot pepper sauce
- 30-50ml sweet pepper sauce (depending on dryness of the meat)
- 30-50ml red wine (depending on dryness of the meat)
- intestine or casing
If this all sounds nice and the image above has your mouth watering, but you have no idea how to do it, then you haven't been to one of our Salami Making Courses! Don't be fooled, there's nothing "simple" about making salami! Curing and storing your salami safely requires the correct knowledge, and we can teach you how! Join us for a fun, hands on and social workshop where you will learn all the tricks of the trade and everything you need to know to make awesome salami for your friends and family to enjoy all year around.
Even Nonna Paola is getting in on the action in a recent YouTube clip!
~ Getting started on your salami & sausage venture ~
Equipment required
Here's a list of all the equipment you will need to make great salami;
- Meat Mincer (manual or motorised) - ensure it is suitable according to kilos of meat being processed
- Salami/Sausage Filler - ensure it is suitable according to kilos of meat being processed
- Salami pricker
- Tubs with lids for holding cold meat
- Boning knife
- Sharp knife
- Gloves
- Cutting boards
- Scales
- String
- Netting tube
- Vacuum Sealing Machine (optional).
You can view our equipment and supplies ONLINE. Our shelves are fully stocked! All of our equipment is of the highest quality and ITALIAN made. Why not get together with friends or family to split the start up costs, and start a new annual tradition.
And for the enthusiastic do-it-yourselfers, we have expertly put-together Sausage & Salami Kits and the matching various sausage recipe kits as well as salami recipe kits. All our Home Make It kits come with instruction manuals which include all the traditional secrets and know-how so you can make it your way and become your own salumiere.
~ The SICO Vacuum Sealing Machines are back in stock! ~
Due to popular demand, we are stocking the SICO Vacuum Sealing Machines again! Made in Italy and of the highest quality domestic machines!
~ Store Opening Hours ~
Come in store this Friday or Saturday to stock up on all your equipment and supplies if you are making your salami this weekend. We are open until 5pm Monday to Friday and 3pm on Saturdays. Feel free to call ahead if we can get your order ready for you beforehand. Call Reservoir on 03 9460 2777 or Clayton on 9574 8222.
~ Cade's Home Brew News ~
Hi Brewers,
It’s been a busy time indeed here in the Home Make it beer world! Firstly, we had a nice sunshine filled home brew demo on my backyard deck. A nice winter warming dark ale was made (recipe below) and it will be ready for tasting in about a month, cannot wait!
We also headed over to see Christina's (editor of The Great Aussie Bite) beer, who wanted to make some beer. Being her first time, she and a friend each put together a Home Make It beer kit and the “battle of the beers" was on. Can’t wait to taste these battling beers!
Speaking of battle of the brews, the Merri Mashers Brew Club held the worlds first ever "speciality IPA" beer comp at the Terminus on Sunday 14th June. Over a hundred beers from all over the country arrived and were judged. Very happy to say, a local Merri Masher member won the Home Make It sponsored White IPA section and I’ll be handing over the store voucher to Mattias at the next meeting. Congrats Mattias!
On a store level, our grain offering is looking great. Be it full 25kg sacks of base grain, or little bags of Gladfield speciality malts, we have it. We have a new batch of White Labs liquid yeast hitting us late next week also, and good stocks of the shiny and wonderful SS Brewtech fermenters and boil kettles and new amazing STERILOCK waterless airlocks.
Fireplace dark ale recipe;
- 23 litre batch
- 3kg Joe White Ale malt
- 1kg Gladfield manuka smoked malt
- 500g Gladfield toffee malt
- 500g Joe White Chocolate malt
- 500g Munich malt
- Single temp mash at 66c for an hour
- 1 Hour boil
- Whirfloc for last 10 minutes of boil
- 20g Summit for 60mins
- 30g Cascade for 30min
- 30g Cascade at flameout
- 30g Amarillo dry hop for 3 days
- OG approx. 1050
Happy Brewing!
~ Food & Beverage Courses ~
Learn how to make homemade mozzarella cheese at our hands on, fun and interactive courses at our Reservoir and Clayton stores in June, 2015. Bookings ONLINE.
- Salami & Cured Meats Courses & Sausage Making Courses
Our Salami and Cured Meats Courses have now commenced, and bookings are filling fast. Our resident butchery expert, James Mele (& now superstar! Did you see him on TV on Vassilis Garden to Kitchen this week?) will give you the confidence to make your own salami and safely cure your salumi before the Winter is out. Our courses are hands on, fun and interactive. Numbers are capped so don't miss out! For convenience, they are offered at two store locations, Reservoir and Clayton. Bookings ONLINE.
We have also released new dates for our Sausage Making Courses at both our Reservoir and Clayton stores. James Mele will teach you everything you need to know to make fresh, tasty, healthy sausages all year round. Book ONLINE.
Cade will be launching his very own Introduction to All Grain Home Brewing Course in July at both the Reservoir and Clayton stores. Learn all about equipment needed, grains, hops, yeast, how to mill, mash and all maturation/fermentation and bottling techniques to make your favorite styles of grain beers. Book ONLINE.
~ Cultural Cooking Demonstration with Societa` Isole Eolie ~
Home Make It is delighted to join the Societa` Isole Eolie for their annual Cultural Cooking Demonstration on 12th July, 2015 at 836 Lygon Street, Carlton from 12.00 until 5.00pm. Frank Bovezza will be entertaining all with a Salami Making Demonstration followed by a homemade sausage tasting. There will also be a Cheese and Ricotta Cheese demonstration by Letizia Terlato from 'A Taste of Italy' and Giulia Biviano will be delighting all with her Conciglie Ripieni recipe and Giggioni Al Lemone. Bookings are essential so contact Giulia Biviano on Mob: 0400 128 250 to reserve your place. $25.00 per per entry. Children $10 or free under 12 years. Pay at the door. Price includes recipes from the demonstrations. This will be a SELL OUT event, so book early to avoid disappointment :{
Click on our sale banner below for this week's specials. Included in this week's specials are 30% off selected salumi casings and netting and 40% off Elegen Vacuum Sealing Machings.
~ Facebook & Twitter ~
Keep up to date with all the daily news from the team, recipes and events by following us on Twitter or Facebook.
Have a great weekend and happy salami days!
