Chocolate Salami DeLuxe

Deluxe Chocolate Salami for the Holidays... I am well aware that chocolate salami is a rich dessert as it is, even in its plain form, so why make it even more decadent by adding some extra goodies? Well, that's exactly why: for me, chocolate can never be TOO decadent... 

Here's how I tweaked a holiday classic for this Christmas.

Ingredients:

8 oz dark (85%) chocolate, broken in pieces

3 tablespoons cocoa

5 oz butter biscuits

5 oz Amaretti cookies

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2-2/3 cup walnut pieces

zest of 1/2 medium orange

2-3 tablespoons rum extraxt, or Jamaican Rum or brandy

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

dried fruits: 4 dates, 4 apricots, 5 prunes (all chopped) and a handful of raisins

3 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup fine sugar

4 oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds and walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and bake them in the oven, until almonds began to toast (6-8 minutes). Set aside, and let cool completely. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water, blend in the cocoa, then set aside and let it cool.  In the meantime, crush the biscuits: put them in a large freezing bag and roll them with a rolling pin, but be careful not to turn them into dust. Crush the almonds and walnuts the same way. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs one by one. Blend in the melted chocolate, the vanilla extract, rum extract (or Rum or Brandy), orange zest and the dried fruit, then fold in the crushed biscuits and nuts. Divide the mixture into three. Place one third of the mixture on a plastic wrap, then pulling the sides of the plastic wrap up, make a roughly salami shaped log. Cover it completely in plastic then firmly roll it up and down several times, to form a perfectly round sausage. Twist the two ends of the plastic wrap and tie it with a string. Repeat twice (to yield 3 logs). Refrigerate the logs until firm, for 1-2 hours. (Will keep in fridge for up to 2 weeks and in freezer for 2 months).

Note: you can roll the logs in powdered sugar (or walnut meal), to make it look more like a salami.

Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

I turned some unused fresh zucchini from last week into Christmas Eve dinner... This was a first even for me, skipping meat altogether for Christmas Eve (we'll make up for it today, though, with some stuffed wine leaves: http://izaskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/stuffed-wine-leaves.html). But it turned out to be not such a bad idea after all: it was really delicious, and quick AND easy to make, saving me a lot of time in the kitchen. Again, not an original recipe, there are many great recipes on the internet, I just combined 2 or  3,  with the following result:

 Ingredients for two:

2 medium (6-8 oz) zucchinis

1 shallot, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

6-8 oz brown button mushrooms, chopped

1/2 orange bell peppers, chopped

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoon breadcrumbs

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence or Italian Seasoning

A handful Italian Parsley, chopped (1-2 tablespoons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A few slices of Cheddar or Parmesan

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Halve the zucchinis lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh, do not discard. Place the shells cut side up in an oiled 9 inch baking dish, season with salt and pepper. Finely chop the reserved zucchini flesh, the mushrooms and the rest of the vegetables. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium, saute the onions and garlic until translucent (3-5 min), then add the mushrooms, bell peppers and tomatoes. Add the seasoning: pepper flakes, Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper, and cook until mushrooms release their juices, and the juices evaporate (5-10 minutes, but honestly, I didn't clock it). When the veggies are done, fold in the breadcrumbs and the chopped parsley, then stuff the zucchini boats with the stuffing, don't worry if the stuffing seems too much, just pile it over the zucchinis, the shells fit so tightly in the baking dish, the stuffing will stay on the top. Cover each shell with Cheddar or Parmesan slices, then bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. Serve with a green salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Note: DO NOT precook the zucchinis. These small zucchinis will cook perfectly without pre-baking.