Prosciutto

This is our pride and joy, the making of our prosciutto

Facts: 

• We use only naturally raised and humanely treated hogs from Canada
  
• We employ the old world Italian way to process our Prosciutto
   

What is Prosciutto?

Prosciutto (IPA: [proˈʃutːo], pronounced "pro-shoo-toe") is the Italian word for ham. In English the word is almost always used to refer to a salt-preserved, air-dried and spiced Italian ham.  It is usually sliced thinly and served without cooking. In Italian, however it is paramount to distinguish between "prosciutto crudo" (raw) and "prosciutto cotto" (cooked - which instead identifies the more commercial cooked ham). The most renowned and most expensive legs of "prosciutto" come from central and northern Italy, in particular from the Friuli and Emilia Romagna regions.  This is where the renowned prosciutti di Parma and San Daniele are from.  

How is it made?

The process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from 16 to 24 months, depending on the size of the ham. When the fresh hams are received, they are closely inspected for blemishes or bruises.  Only the best hams are selected for salting.  the hams are then weighed, smaller hams are not selecting for salting.  the best hams are then trimmed and salted.  during the salting stage, the hams will be resalted, massaged and pressed several times.  When the hams are sufficiently salted, they are then washed and prepared for hanging to begin the air-drying or aging process.  Once the ham has dried sufficiently, the hams are then trimmed again and then spiced so that the finally aging process can continue.  The amount of time this takes varies, depending on the local climate and size of the ham. When the ham is completely dry and ready for sale, it is then trimmed and boned.  It is then pressed into a mold that will give it its familiar banjo shape.  It is then removed from the mold, vacuum packed and refrigerated until it is sold.

 At the Toronto Slow Food Brickworks event with Reds Bistro. (2008)

Capicolla

We use only naturally raised and humanely treated hogs from Canada

• We hand select the pork butts we use for our Capicolla
• We hand trim any excess exterior meat and fat prior to salting
• We  hand rub our own special blend of herbs and spices
• We hang our Capicolla in house for 4 to 6 months

What is Capicolla?

This Italian Classic cut is made from whole trimmed pork butts, hand rolled in crushed red pepper and other Italian spices, then naturally hung for a delightful taste sensation.

Bresaola

We use Ontario free range and hormone free beef for our Bresaola.

• We hand trim any excess exterior meat and fat prior to salting
• We use eye of round that we hand salt
• We keep it under salt and a special wine to cure
• We  hand rub our own special blend of herbs and spices
• It is hung at our facility  for 2-3 months

What is Bresaola?

Bresaola is salt rubbed and brined beef that is air-dried for about 4 to 6 months.  The meat will become firm and the colour will change to red and purple hues with a spicy nose that will reflect the dry rub of herbs that are placed on the outside of the muscle.

This traditional cut originated in Valtellina, a valley in the Alps of northern Italy's Lombardy region.

Serving Bresaola

As an antipasto bresaola is usually sliced thinly and served at room temperature or slightly chilled. It can be enjoyed on its own but is commonly served with a salad of rocket (rucola, arugula) which is lightly dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and seasoned with freshly cracked black pepper and freshly shaved Parmigiano cheese. In a panino sandwich, the bresaola is featured with Taleggio and rucola drizzled with olive oil.  Sliced bresaola should be stored well-wrapped in a refrigerator.

Pancetta

The bellies we select for the making of pancetta only come from Canadian hogs that are naturally raised and humanely treated .

• The pancetta is hand salted and cured
  
• We hang it for approximately two months
  
• We then apply our own blend of spices prior to sale

What is Pancetta?

Italian pancetta (IPA: [panˈtʃetːa], pronounced "pan-CHEH-tah") or Spanish panceta (IPA: [panˈθeta]) is a type of dry cured meat. It is pork belly that has been salt preserved, spiced (nutmeg, pepper, bay leaf, dried ground hot peppers and garlic are often featured), and air-dried for about four to six months (but usually not smoked). There are many varieties, and in Italy each region produces its own type. In Corsica it is considered a regional flavour.

Pancetta can be rolled or straight (with all the fat on one side). The straight variety is more common in Italy and Spain than elsewhere, especially where home-made pancetta is still produced.

When served on its own as an antipasto selection, the rolled pancetta is presented in very thin slices. It is also commonly used in cooking to add intense flavour to dishe.  It is the main feature in Pasta alla Carbonara. 

Guanciale

the guanciale we use are selected from Canadian hogs that are naturally raised and humanely treated .

• Hand trimed pork jowls are salt rubbed
• Then we air dry for two to four months 
• Our own special spices are added prior to sale

What is Guanciale?

Guanciale can be loosely described as a bacon because when guanciale is cut its profile is very similar to bacon.  However, this bacon is actually made using the hog's jowls.  The term guanciale is directly derived from guancia, Italian for cheek.
Pork cheek is rubbed with salt,  and air-dried for two to four months.  Before packaging for sale, the guanciale is seasoned with freshly ground black pepper.  It is commonly used for cooking and flavouring dishes.  it is very pronounced in flavour, much bolder than other pork products such as pancetta yet its texture is more delicate. Guanciale is the main feature in the traditional regional italian dish like Pasta all'amatriciana.  Guanciale finds its origins as a delicacy whose roots are from Central Italy, particularly Umbria, Lazio, Toscana, Abbruzzo and Campania.

Recipes:

Bucatini all’amatriciana. Named for the town of Amatrice, southeast of Rome, the dish combines bucatini, a long, thin, tube-shaped pasta, with sautéed guanciale, tomatoes, and onions. Hot chili pepper gives the dish a piquancy, and the sauce is bound together with sharp pecorino romano. The fatty and intensely flavored guanciale, browned and caramelized in the pan, gave the simple tomato- and onion-based sauce an extraordinary depth of flavor.

Spaghetti alla gricia, the tomato-less cousin of bucatini all’amatriciana. Also known as un’amatriciana in bianco (white amatriciana), it is made by sautéeing guanciale and hot chili pepper, and then tossing the crispy bits with spaghetti and grated pecorino romano. This pasta, which puts the spotlight on guanciale, was even better than the amatriciana. If you like the idea of bacon and cheese, you’ll like spaghetti alla gricia.

While guanciale may be considered mandatory in making the first two pastas, this is not the case for spaghetti alla carbonara, the legendary pasta of disputed origins. Either pancetta bacon, or guanciale may be used to make the luscious sauce that includes eggs, pecorino romano, and black pepper.  Some maintain that the pasta’s name derives from the flecks of black pepper that resemble coal, hence “carbonara.” Others hold that spaghetti alla carbonara is named after the mountain-dwelling coalminers (the carbonari) who carried with them the main ingredients for the dish.

Whatever the actual genesis may be, pasta alla carbonara is incredibly rich and stomach-filling, made only more so by the addition of guanciale. While there is no cream in the dish, you would almost never know it.  When the eggs and cheese make contact with the pasta, they are transformed into a creamy sauce punctuated by the crisp little pieces of guanciale.

Sausage

We make our own Italian style sausage in house using naturally raised Canadian hogs

• Hand made in-house, our sausage can be purchased in coil or bulk form
• We use a traditional recipe handed down from generation to generation
• ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS! Pure pork is the order of the day.
• We use NO FILLERS in our sausage, meat and spices are all there is!
• We vacuum pack our sausage in 3-5 pound lots
• Flash frozen in-house to guarantee freshness is locked