“Yes generic bank person, I’ll hold. What? I received vacation money from a job I did with a temp agency? Well that’s wonderful. Mr. Bank man, if I were face to face with you now, I would kiss you.”
That’s basically how it went. Now most people who find an extra £37 in their bank account after a month of being broke, probably pay off a bill or some such. Not me. No sir. I went to Whole Foods Market on High Street Kensington and spent £33.00 on the following:
- · Cranberry and Pecan Sourdough
- · Salami Toscano Salum
- · Spianata Calabra (Spicy Salami) Madeo
- · St Nectaire Fermier Mons
- · Coulommiers Mons
- · Queen olives, and
- · A packet of sushi (a salmon roll cut into 8 pieces)
Some of these items may seem foreign to those, who are not in the know regarding the multi-various amounts of salami and cheeses that the world has to offer. Don’t worry, I’m still learning myself.
Salami
There are so many different types of salami, you may find yourself standing in front of a counter filled to the brim. If you’re like me, you might not have a clue as to what type of salami is the best to buy.
Since I’ve recently been introduced to saucisson (a French salami) I began to look for any type of salami from France, hoping it would put me on the right track.
However, the market only had one type of salami from France on the day I visited and it was much more expensive than some of the others.
Remembering the small sum in my wallet, I opted for the two types of salami: Salami Toscano Salum and Spianata Calabra Madeo.
Lets break them down. Salami Toscano Salum is an Italian Salami. Toscano means it’s from Tuscany. It’s about three and a half inches in diameter and seasoned with garlic and spices and then stuffed in a pig’s intestine for months until it’s ready.
Spicy Spianata Salame is a Calabrese Salame that uses chilli pepper in the recipe. The minced pork is molded into a spianata shape (whatever that means). I looked up the word ‘spianata’, and apparently it’s Italian for ‘clearing’. (Scratches head).
Cheese
Don’t be afraid to explore the world of cheese. There is such an astounding variety that you could spend your whole life trying them. But since I am a student of food myself, we’ll have to learn about cheeses together.
I chose the Coulommier because the rind was quite white. I’ve learned from experience that if the cheese is rather soft (a bit creamy looking) and the rind is very white, it often means that the cheese will not be sharp. I’m not a big fan of spicy or sharp cheese.
As I suspected the Coulommier was mild and nutty, but lovely. It’s a tad bitter, but I don’t mind that in a cheese, especially when I’m eating it with something that offsets the taste a bit like salami. Coulommier is from the brie cheese family and is named after a commune in North-Central France.
I took a chance on the St. Nectaire, but I crapped out. St. Nectaire is a bit of a spicy cheese from the French region Auvergne. I have a friend, who would have loved it, but I didn’t enjoy it at all.
The more you know your cheeses, the better chance that you will choose the right cheese for your taste and occasion.
With some cheeses, like the Coulommier, the cheese rind is edible. However, you can’t eat the rind of every cheese (and believe me, some you won’t want to). Some cheese rinds are much too bitter. I wouldn’t eat the rind of the Nectaire cheese if you paid me.
Supermarket sushi
You ever walked into a supermarket, took one look at the sushi section, and walked back out again. Yep, me too!
Lets face it. Sushi is fresh fish, emphasis on the word ‘fresh’. If it is not fresh, it is still sushi, but just not edible. The smell of old fish will ensure your departure from the market.
There are some supermarket chains, however that have a pretty good sushi department and Whole Food Markets fits into that category.
In fact, the store on High Street Kensington has sushi with both white rice and brown rice, which I find preferable since diabetes runs in my family and brown rice is lower on the Glycemic Index.
Bread with stuff in it
Whole Foods also has a wonderful array of baked breads including, my favourite, cranberry pecan sourdough. Something about the combination just makes me feel transported to my Nana’s warm kitchen.
And you can’t go wrong with queen olives. They go nicely with most breads, though I wouldn’t mix it with the cranberry pecan sourdough.
Why? Well, I’m a big believer in not forcing a lot of strong tastes to compete with each other.
Sure, a good cheese should have a good wine that can keep up with it. But someone has to be the star. Olives tend to be salty, while cranberries are sweet and pecans are… uh… nutty.
Mistakes
When I bought the salami, I wish I had not asked for it to be sliced. Per my instruction, the nice lady behind the counter cut thin slices for me. It just didn't work as nicely with the bread.
The shape of sourdough is a bit like an American football that has lost some of its air. These things have to be considered when choosing food that goes well with it.
Also, the bread was a bit laden with goodies and should have been reserved for something simpler. In fact, the bread could have stood on its own. Next time, I'll get a simpler bread so that the salami and cheese can shine. Perhaps, a nice baguette.
I wonder what wine would have been perfect for this meal. Any suggestions?
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