2012 was a year of abbondanza for Salumeria Italiana -- good products, great customers, and media recognition.  Feb 13, 2012, Andrew Zimmern of Travel Channel featured the North End and especially Salumeria Italiana on Bizarre Foods. Zimmern and a television crew came in the previous August to film his favorite foods. He raved about Coppa di Testa, head cheese filled with all the bits and pieces of pork he loves. He sampled our Olive Antipasto with seven different olive varieties, caper berries, pickled garlic, and sundried tomatoes. And he chatted with owner Gaetano and staff members. Coppa di Testa, usually sought out by older Italians, suddenly became a hot-selling item with customers coming from far and wide to taste what Andrew likes.

Spring 2012 brought an epiphany in super premium extra virgin olive oils. Gaetano had read "Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil" by Tom Mueller, about authenticity and fraud in EVOO.  That set in motion a hunt for exquisite small-production extra virgin olive oils to offer our customers. 274th Il Novello from Sicily, Colonna Molise DOP from Molise, Le Amantine's Amantino, Taleo and Unico from Lazio, Garda Orientale DOP from the Veneto, and many more were added to our already impressive stock of EVOOs from all over Italy. We feel passionately that the extra virgin olive oil we sell must be the very best. And our customers rely on Salumeria Italiana to tell them about the oils, let them sample, and give them a good value for superior products. 

Many customers are very familiar with our retail store, coming in several times a week for bread, cheeses, meats, and other necessities. Others shop online for the best, but have never visited the store. This summer, a crew from Media Temple, our web host, chose Salumeria Italiana to be profiled in a video. It's a glimpse into the life of the store that everyone from Boston to Los Angeles to Texas to North Dakota can enjoy. http://player.vimeo.com/video/48766445

It's nice to know that taste testers for the Wall Street Journal agree with Salumeria Italiana on our Sweet Soppressata. In a  Dec. 7 Mini-Guide to Salami, our Alps Sweet Soppressata was chosen best in its category. All the salumi sold at Salumeria Italiana is tasted before purchasing to sell at the store, and each shipment is tasted to guarantee consistency. That way customers can feel confident that they are getting the very best product we can find. The article caused a run on Sweet Soppressata; luckily we keep a good supply of it. (And Alps Hot Soppressata is deliciozo, too).

A few weeks ago, Media Temple, which hosts our website, came in to video the store and staff members. Jon and Levi wanted to get a real-time feeling for what Salumeria Italiana is all about. They talked to Chris, the online manager who also cuts meats and cheeses, waits on customers and does almost everything else,  Chef Raymond, our guru on extra virgin olive oil and more, and Alison, who writes and produces Salumeria's Giornal-e, does social media, and more. And they got stunning shots of our store. It's worth a video break in your day!! http://player.vimeo.com/video/48766445

The front windows of Salumeria Italiana showcase some of our wonderful foods. Here, Anastasia arranges Setaro Spaghetti, La Bella San Marzano Tomatoes and La Valle San Marzano DOP Tomatoes, Scalia Colatura di Alici, and other products in the sunny window. The other window displays beautiful breads from three local artisanal bakeries that are delivered soon after baking several times a day. In fact, some loaves, baked right down off Hanover Street, are still warm when the lucky customers carry them off. 

Right now, that window also emphasizes Italian pride in Italy's defeat of Germany to compete for the Euro Cup title. Go Italia!! We at Salumeria Italiana wear our hearts in our windows. Come by and see -- or order on online.

Hope you saw Salumeria Italiana on "Bizarre Foods" Feb. 13 on the Travel Channel. Andrew Zimmern, the host, did a great job capturing "la atmosfera" of the North End and of our store. Check out the photos on the show's website http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/bizarre-foods/photos/bizarre-foods-america-boston-photos. And drop by the store where the video is shown periodically. You can almost taste what Andrew's trying.

Calling Salumeria Italiana one of his favorite stores in the world, Andrew Zimmern, star of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods, swept through the store recently, accompanied by cameramen, light and audio technicians, producers, and a few curious fans. The congenial Zimmern who travels the world seeking out the unusual, the authentic, and the molto delicioso in foods sampled Coppa di Testa, or head cheese, pointing out its piggy parts and how our version was especially delicate. He tried Cinghiale, or wild boar, Cacciatorini. He marveled over Moliterno al Tartufo, the wonderfully aged Sardinian truffle cheese. And he smacked his lips at the Octopus Salad. With owner Gaetano Martignetti, (pictured above, Gaetano on left) he discussed regional Italian specialities, where to source the best cheeses, and all the little producers the two had discovered in remote towns in Italy.

Zimmern confessed he has been coming to the store since forever and remembers all the remodeling over the years. He could identify the olive oils, said he and his son love Rubio, and filled his arms with Setaro, Alce Nero, and other pastas to be sent to his home in Minnesota. After stopping for a photo with Gaetano, Zimmern made sure to have two packages of Bottarga di Mugine (mullet roe) wrapped in a cool pack to take on the plane with him. 

The segment featuring Salumeria Italiana as part of a tour of the North End is slated for February 2012. Stay tuned for an exact date and watch for the Salumeria staff on air.!!!

We've discovered that people are crazy about learning to make homemade pasta. In a Giornal-e recently, the announcement of a pasta-making class with Chef Raymond Gillespie generated so much response that it grew into a series. Salumeria Italiana's chef Raymond teaches students to make their own tagliatelle. As Raymond promises, you will get your hands dirty. The first two have been such fun as everyone joins in to mix, knead, roll out, and cut the tender pasta. Class members say they've not only learned about making pasta and sauces,  but love to eat it. No leftovers after these classes. Accardi Foods in Medford generously allow us to use the beautiful, fully-equipped kitchen with plenty of space to spread out.  

Like all Italian cooking, pasta making is simple but relies on good products -- Antimo Caputo 00 flour, Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Frantoia Extra Virgin Olive Oil, La Valle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP cheese, and more. The recipes for Fresh Tagliatelle, and the sauces, Porcini Sauce, and Asparagus and Lemon Zest, plus a refreshing Simple Salad Greens with Rubio are in Recipes. Stay tuned -- we're planning to hold more classes in the future.

Star's line of Risotto can speed up preparing this iconic Italian dish. The packets contain 100 percent Italian riso and all the other ingredients such as saffron, onions, porcini mushrooms, and Parimigiana cheese to make risotto. Just the chopping and grating alone saves precious time for the home cook. Star Risotto Milanese is seasoned with saffron and contains onions and seasonings; Star Risotto Funghi Porcini contains porcini mushrooms and parsley; and Star Risotto Parmigiana cheese and black pepper.

However, we wanted to clarify a few things. First of all, the directions are in Italian on some packages, creating confusion for customers who don't read that language.  It's simple -- to  500 milleters (about 2 cups) of water in a saucepan add the contents of the package, stir,and  bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook, stirring a few times. But after testing several versions of the risotto, we decided the risotto needed about 20 minutes of simmering rather than the 15 minutes stated on the packaged directions to be creamy and fully cooked. Depending on preferences, the risotto can be cooked for a few minutes longer.

These directions should smooth your path to quick, effortless Star Risotto. Buon Appetito!!

Although we think all of our cheeses are wonderful, cheese is a living thing. So sometimes the cheese we import is perfetto, just right, with the taste and texture that make it irresistibly delicioso. Castagna Montagne, the smooth, slighly nutty, pale yellow cheese from the mountains of northern Piedmont is such a cheese right now. Here manager Goni Topi holds a Montagne, shaped in a triangle to represent its Alpine beginnings. This cheese, so good for sandwiches, to use in a spectacular mac and cheese, or to nibble with a crisp apple or juicy pear, is a favorite of many customers. You'll find yourself loving it, too.

We're steadily increasing organic products in our retail store and online inventory. Just in are some wonderful foods from Alce Nero, an exemplary company that has been organic for more than 30 years!!! Alce Nero pasta of 100 % Kamut, an ancient grain that is the ancestor of Durum Wheat, is rich in protein, minerals, and highly digestible. This pasta, grown without chemical substances of any kind, comes in Penne Rigate and Spaghetti cuts. 

Tomato sauces from Alce Nero will forever change your view of bottled. Alce Nero honeys are some of the best we've tried, and Alce Nero 100 % Organic Lemon Juice will be every cook's shortcut. And Frllini di Farro (cookies) are irresistible.

As the Alce Nero mission statement on its website says: "Back then (and still today), the move toward organic farming and bee breeding represented a new way, both ideal and concrete, of producing and offering delicious, healthy products that respect the environment and nature around us." Watch for more Alce Nero products on Salumeria Italiana's website. We adding them as fast as we can. However, if you want to order any of the sauces, pasta, cookies, or lemon juice, call or email us and we'll be happy to get them out to you.

Making Rubio takes patience. After all this magical balsamic vinegar has to age at least 12 years for Salumeria Italiana to deem it ready to give to you. Recently owner Gaetano visited the Rubio facility outside Modena, Italy. Here, he and Marco discuss the fine wooden barrels that give Rubio its character.  As Marco explains it, the right size barrel of fine wood is chosen so that the cooked grape must and wine vinegar come into as much contact with the wood as possible. Then the balsamico in barrels, each with its own personality, is constantly analyzed by taking out a small amount.  The barrel is refilled with a little more wine must. And then more waiting, and the process is repeated. And more waiting -- until Rubio is finally ready to ship. The result -- delicious, thick, slightly sweet balsamic vinegar -- makes patience its own reward. In taste testing, even Italian experts often can't tell the difference between Rubio and the much more expensive tradizionale balsamico. 

Alessi is an undisputed leader in Italian home furnishing design --- and we all know the Italian reputation for excellence in design. We have just received a shipment of Alessi products -- the iconic bird-whistle teapot, espresso pots, oil and vinegar sets, corkscrews, salt and pepper sets, and more. Alessi is extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- to find in Boston so Salumeria Italiana is especially excited and proud to show it off. Here Evi displays his favorite, a dramatic lemon squeezer. Right now, the Alessi products are sold only in the store, but soon will be offered on our website. Come in and see them, or call and ask us about them. We're eager to talk!!!

Boston area chefs are often seen shopping at Salumeria Italiana. Recently, it was Tim Cushman of O Ya, called the best restaurant in the US by Frank Bruni. Along with La Valle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, he was buying Agribosco  Italian Chickpea Flour. This flour, 100 percent organic and stoneground, is so terrior-centric that the location in Lazio and the grower, Dominic M., are listed right on the package. Tim (in photo at left) told us he was planning to experiment mixing the chickpea flour with soba (buckwheat) to create Japanese-style crepes. Mmmm!! We can't wait to try them.

He's not the only chef we've seen lately. One recent Saturday both Lydia Shire and her husband came in at different times to stock up for Towne, the new restaurant Lydia and Jasper White just opened on Boylston St. Lydia was looking for La Quercia lardo to use on a pizza. She now has a standing weekly order.

And earlier in the summer, Dante diMagistris scooted in right at closing to grab some Moretti Semola di Grano Duro for pasta. That must have been really fresh pasta!!