Emily Watkins shares an inspiring homemade salami recipe, including a method for making a red onion and sloe gin marmalade for good measure. If you have ambitions to make your own charcuterie then this recipe is a great place to start.
Mix the salt and curing salt through the minced venison and place in a bowl over ice. Once chilled, place the minced venison and back fat in the bowl of a food mixer in the fridge until needed
Return the bowl to the mixer and mix with a paddle attachment for 1 minute, until well-combined
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Fill the hog casings by filling a large piping bag or sausage filler with the venison mix and push the mix not the casing avoiding air pockets as much as possible. Twist into sausages and prick with a pin to allow any air to escape and help the drying process
Place the sausages on a cooling rack on a tray covered with a clean towel for 12 hours at room temperature, preferably 30°C. This will allow the good bacteria to grow
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Hang the salamis at 15°C with 70% humidity for 12-18 days
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To make the marmalade, melt a block of butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the finely sliced red onions and fry until the onions are completely cooked and have absorbed all of their own juices - this will take 1-2 hours
When dry and cooked, add the thyme leaves, sugar, red wine vinegar and sloe gin to the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn reduce to a simmer and cook until sticky in consistency
To make the toast, place the olive oil in a pan and heat to 140°C. Drop in the rosemary and bruised juniper berries, then take off the heat and leave to infuse for at least 1 day, and up to 4 days
When ready to serve, drizzle the rosemary and juniper oil over the sourdough slices and toast under a hot grill. Serve with slices of salami and a spoonful of marmalade
Mother of three and previously chef-owner at The Kingham Plough, Oxfordshire, Emily Watkins has a lot on her proverbial plate. But it hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of Britain’s leading chefs.
