Salami with fennel (final week)

They're ready! And a lot sooner than I expected it to be. Originally, I thought it'd take 6-10 weeks but in less than 3 weeks the salami had lost over 30% of their weight through moisture loss - meaning they're ready for nomming on. 

Salami with fennel (week 2)

Week 2 of my salami project and they seem to be doing well. I had a little scare with some green mold appearing on the topside of the bend. So, straight away I wiped it off with some vinegar and kitchen paper. Then I set about doing a little bit of research. 

Salami with fennel (week 1)

So after the disappointing failure of my venison prosciutto, I wanted to try something that was maybe a bit more realistic and not quite as expensive. So, I chose salami. I've made regular pork and beef sausages before, so I was fairly comfortable with using a sausage maker and there's something strangely satisfying about making these sorts of products using it. 

Homemade Pancetta

For a while now I've been listening to a BBC Radio 4 podcast called The Kitchen Cabinet, hosted by Jay Rayner. It's a panel show with a live audience where they travel over the UK and discuss various food topics - food science to food history to current trends. 

My favourite panellist is Tim Hayward - a food writer and broadcaster. Billy recently got me Tim's latest book, Food DIY. And it is amazing. I've never done, or even wanted to do, so many recipes from one book. He covers smoking, curing, pickling, fermenting and homemade takeaways including doner kebab. 

This book particularly makes me happy because I'm so bad at DIY around the flat, and this is something I can actually do.