Mushrooms with Mortadella Mousse
I am going to be away for a week with my family and old friends, as my niece is getting married in Malta. I am not sure how much I will be able to post while there so I thought I would post a recipe from today's Bologna cooking class before I set off tomorrow. Spuma di Mortadella is a traditional Bologna favourite for antipasto, and serving it in mushroom caps give it a bit more substance. The mushrooms - and the balsamic reduction - are a good foil to the very tangy savoury Mortadella mousse.
Real Mortadella di Bologna is a centuries old fine "cooked salami", one of the many feathers in Bologna's gastronomic cap, for this is the city that gave it birth. It is a pork only product, made from the finest parts of the pig very finely ground. It was once knife chopped and then pounded with pestle and mortar, hence the name. It is larded with fine back fat strips and lightly perfumed with mace, white pepper, allspice berries and coriander seeds. It is very fragrant and it is a sheer pleasure to breathe in deeply when you unwrap the neatly folded package you bring home from the deli.
Mortadella di Bologna I. g. p. - this means Indicazione Geografica Protetta which is a European Union quality standard that guarantees the place of origin - contains neither peppercorns nor pistachios - these are found only in other mortadellas made in the south. The "sausages" are cooked slowly - a 10 kilo (22. 5 lbs) Mortadella takes 24 hours to cook. Big is good where Mortadella is concerned, the bigger the better. Around 12 kilos is a good size though larger ones are made. Very little Mortadellas are also available today but a true Bolognese gourmet will always prefer to buy just a few ounces freshly sliced from a huge Mortadella - just a little as the heady aromas quickly fade and it is best to go back to the deli for more when you need to, rather than to eat Mortadella at anything other than its very best. Best of all is the Slow Food protected Classic Mortadella which is not easy to find outside Bologna, but which is well worth a try should you ever come across it.
As I always have 25 year old Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, we used this in the centre of the mousse today. You can see in the photo how richly dark and glossy it is compared to the paler reduction of ordinary Balsamic vinegar on the plate.
Notes
It is better to use a good quality cooked ham rather than a inferior Mortadella iIf you cannot get Mortadella di Bologna I.g.p. You can add a little Marsala or a little Dijon style mustard to the ham mousse.
If you wish you can make 3 times the amount of Balsamic reduction and store for future use - it will last many months stored in the fridge. If you transfer it to a plastic squeegee bottle with a fine tip you will be able to draw pretty patterns with it more easily.
Vegetarian versions - no longer Bolognese - can use avocado or pea puree for the filling.
Cappelli di Funghi con Spuma di Mortadella
For 4 people you will need:
100g (3 1/2 ounces) Mortadella di Bologna I.G.P., 4 very large mushrooms, 50 ml (quarter cup)fresh cream
Optional Balsamic Syrup: 30 g (an ounce) sugar, 25 ml (a tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) water, 40 ml ( 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) ordinary Balsamic vinegar
Washed dried salad leaves for serving
The mushrooms
Wipe the mushrooms clean, remove stalks and reserve for another use
Brown the mushrooms caps without using any fat on both side in a non stick pan. At a certain point liquid will from inside the caps: when it does turn them over so that it drains out. Continue till golden brown on both sides Remove from the pan and place upside down on a plate to drain off excess liquid.
It is best not to season the mushrooms. Adding salt produces too much watery liquid and the Mortadella is already highly seasoned
The Mortadella mousse
Chop the Mortadella finely then place in a small processor or whizz with a stick blender. Add the cream and whizz again. Add water as needed to achieve a nice creamy texture.
Empty the Mortadella mousse into a bowl, season with a little pepper only, it is already salty enough
The Balsamic Syrup
Place the sugar and water in a pan and cook until almost all the water has evaporated. Let the sugar caramelise then deglaze the pan carefully with 40 ml of ordinary Balsamic Vinegar.
Carefully means you add just a little of the vinegar to being with as it will spit and sizzle when it hits the pan.
Allow the liquid to reduce till syrupy. It will stay liquid while it is hot so place a drop on a cold saucer to test the consistency at room temperature. If it is too thick dilute with water and test again. If it is too thin and runny reduce further. Leave to cool
To assemble and plate
Fill each cap with some of the Mortadella mousse, making a dome on top so there is lots of filling.
Place salad leaves on each of four serving plates with 1 or more mushroom caps on top of the leaves.
Make a depression in the centre of the Mousse and drizzle the Balsamic reduction into this and on and around the mushroom caps.
