Chocolate Salami and Variations

This dessert is widespread throughout Italy and suitable for any holiday. In Emilia-Romagna, this sweet worked traditionally packaged in the Easter period. It is also widespread in Naples and in the Mantua area. Its origins appear to be Portuguese, not Italian, but it was very popular in Italy in the recent past, so much so that anyone has their own “grandma” special recipe.

In fact, it can be chocolate and coffee salami, as described below; or by adding the Sicilian liquor Marsala—the way I recall it made by my grandmother. Or by adding to the cookies mixture also hazelnuts and/or pistachios (my preferred one).

It is a very simple dessert that doesn’t even need cooking.

PREPARATION 20 min. REST: 2 hours  COOKING: 5 min. DIFFICULTY: easy  COST: economic

For about 6 people

• butter at room temperature 200 g 
• dry biscuits 250 g (I can think of the Graham cracker as very appropriate)
• medium eggs 2 
• dark chocolate 220 g 
• confectionary sugar 70 g 
• bitter cocoa powder 20 g 
• espresso coffee 30 g 
• salt 1 pinch

Method

Start by crushing the biscuits by hand and coarsely (do not do it with a blender, they must rather coarse, not fine as per a cheesecake!), place them in a large bowl. Chop the dark chocolate and melt it in a bain-marie or in the microwave.

With your KitchenAid or with electric whips, work the softened butter with the sugar until you get nice light and foamy cream, about ten minutes. Now add the two whole eggs, one at a time, and the melted chocolate until it is creamy and smooth.

Sift the powdered cocoa powder into the bowl and mix with the whips, then the hot espresso coffee (if you like to give it a bit of hype, then add the Marsala or any liquor of choice that blends well with chocolate), and finally the pinch of salt. 

To this mixture add the coarsely crumbled cookies/Graham and amalgamate well. At this point, you can add hazelnuts if you like or the pistachios, but in a much lower quantity, just to have then here and there. Not a lot.

Shape it as a Salami

On a layer of baking paper, transfer the mixture giving it an elongated shape (about 30 cm or less). Close the sheet on itself and seal it well, to give the salami a precise shape. Leave the chocolate and coffee salami in the fridge for at least 3 hours, then serve it in slices!

It is truly delicious and easy to carry around if it is intended to bring to get-togethers of sorts.