Bonnies Salami Recipes

BONNIE'S SALAMI

Steps:

• Use only fresh, good quality, lean ground beef. Add the ground beef, garic, mustard seed, kosher salt, cumin, red pepper flakes, or whatever you like. Shape the beef into a roll about the thickness of a roll of Jimmy Dean sausage. This salami has a Mexican flavor. You could add some Italian herbs if you wanted an Italian flavor.
• Use a large piece of heavy duty tinfoil, or use two thin pieces long enough for wrapping the salami.
• Place the salami on the tin foil lengthwise, as depicted in my photo.
• Bring the two widths together in the middle of the salami, and fold them over to seal together, wrapping the foil tightly around the beef roll. You want a nice tightly wrapped and nicely shaped roll. Twist at each end to seal.
• Place the salami in a large deep pan and cover it with water. Bring to a boil, cover and boil 60 minutes.
• Remove the salami carefully with two sets of tongs. Untwist one end of the salami over the sink and drain out all excess liquid, retwist tightly, wrap in a dish towel and place in the refrigerator.
• When you are ready to serve the salami, slice it into thin slices. I serve my salami on French bread, mayo, and with a spoonful of my Spanish Salsa.
• Here is what a slice looks like close up. Enjoy your fun salami!

HOMEMADE SALAMI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard seed, curing salt, black pepper and liquid smoke. Mix in the red pepper flakes if desired. Roll the mixture into a 2 inch diameter log, and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Make a few slits in the bottom of the roll to allow the fat to drain when cooking. Place roll onto a broiler pan, and fill the bottom part of the pan with about 1 inch of water to keep the salami moist.
• Bake for 90 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan and cool completely before unwrapping the salami. Slice and eat as lunch meat, or serve on a tray with crackers and cheese.

BONNIE'S KILLER MEATLOAF

Steps:

• 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, tomato paste, kitchen bouquet.
• 2. Add all the seasonings and spices.
• 3. Stir in peppers, onions and celery.
• 4. Add the ground meat and sage sausage. Mix well. Best mixed with your hands.
• 5. Stir in the croutons and mix well.
• 6. Form the loaf and place in a meatloaf pan.
• 7. "Frost" the top of the meatloaf with the leftover tomato paste as depicted in the photo.
• 8. Tent the meatloaf loosely. Bake meatloaf in a 350 degree, pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees. (I use a meat thermometer.) Remove tin foil the last 15 minutes. Let meatloaf stand covered loosely for 15 minutes. Spritz with a couple of sprays of butter flavored kitchen spray to give it a glossy appearance, and this is how it looks.
• 9. Place the meatloaf on a platter and slice it to serve. You can serve it without gravy because it is so moist. That is the way I like it. The guys, of course, have to have their gravy! Enjoy!

CABBAGE AND SAUSAGES -- BONNIE'S

Steps:

• 1. ABOUT CABBAGE Pick a nice firm head of cabbage.
• 2. FRY BACON Fry Bacon Crisp, let cool, then crumble and set aside. Remove bacon grease except for one tablespoon.
• 3. FRY SAUSAGES Fry the sausages in the bacon grease until nice and brown. Remove, drain on paper towels, set aside.
• 4. Knife-cut the cabbage; Add to the bacon grease in the pan. Add chopped onion and garlic to the grease in the pan. Add sugar, pepper flakes, seasoning salt, caraway seeds and the water. Stir to mix, then add the knife-cut cabbage and mix again. Saute with lid on. I prefer my cabbage cooked al dente, about 20 minutes. Bill likes his well done. So I remove mine early and continue cooking his a little longer.
• 5. The last 15 minutes of cooking time, add the browned sausages and mix with the cabbage. Cook over very low heat and let flavors blend, but don't overcook it. Add crumbled bacon to the dish. Serve immediately and enjoy!

CHOCOLATE KOLBASA (RUSSIAN NO-BAKE FUDGE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Place cookies in a bowl and use a masher to crush them into bits. (The biggest pieces should be no larger than 1/2-inch square.) Dump mixture into a colander and shake to remove most of the tiny crumbs. You should have about 2 cups pieces remaining. Return to bowl and add nuts.
• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in condensed milk. If using bar chocolate, break into medium-size pieces. Add chocolate, cocoa powder and salt, and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape chocolate mixture into bowl with cookies. Stir together and set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes to firm up.
• Meanwhile, lay 2 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 18 inches long, on a work surface. Top each with a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Divide cookie mixture between the two. Using paper and your hands, shape and roll mixture into two cylinders of dough, each about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll dough up in the paper, then again in foil. Roll on the work surface to make sure the log is even, then twist the ends of the foil to secure.
• Refrigerate the logs until firm, at least 1 hour. After 1 hour, check to make sure they are setting evenly. If necessary, roll on the work surface again until smooth (no need to remove the foil and paper). Refrigerate until fully set, another 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• When ready to serve, remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap them on a work surface. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over them, turning to coat. Shake off excess and use a serrated knife to slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Plate and serve, or refrigerate up to 2 hours.

BONNIE'S ITALIAN STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• For the meatballs:
• Pour the milk over bread and soak to soften.
• Place the meat in a mixing bowl and add the cheese, EVOO, fennel, crushed red pepper, garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and crumble into crumbs as you add it to the meat. Combine the meatball mix and roll into 2-inch balls. Place the meatballs on nonstick baking sheet sprayed with olive oil spray and roast until browned but not fully cooked, 10 to 12 minutes.
• For the stew:
• Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions and bay, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and stir until fragrant. Add the beef stock and tomatoes, then break up the tomatoes with a potato masher. Add the basil, potatoes and meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat back to medium, partially cover and cook 10 minutes. Add the green beans and cook 7 to 8 minutes more.
• Serve, or cool completely and store for make-ahead meal. Reheat over a medium-low flame, partially covered, stirring occasionally (or reheat in a 325 degree F oven) until sauce is bubbly.
• To serve, top shallow bowls of stew with cheese and an extra drizzle of EVOO.

BAKED SALAMI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Partially slice the salami into 1/4-inch thick slices, making sure the cuts do not go all the way through. Place the salami into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 1 hour. Drain off the grease.
• Mix the barbecue sauce and brown sugar together in a bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour about 2 cups of the sauce over the salami, and retain the rest for basting. Return the salami to the oven and bake for 45 minutes more, basting occasionally with the reserved sauce. Serve on a platter with a knife so guests can cut their own slices.