Salo and other things

Having just got back from the Ukraine, and knowing how much Sergio appreciates fat in general, I'd like to share with you one of my best fat experiences in a while. A quintessential part of Ukrainian food, "salo" the underskin fat cured in salt and paprika. What the #$#(@##! you may ask. But basically, it's tasty, buttery, nutty chips of lard that you can have with your garlic bread. The photo doesn't do it justice but it was dark in the restaurant. Salo is a heavenly condiment, the very soul of Ukranian cuisine. This sort of light, smooth lard is really hard to come by-- usually I just want to throw up after eating more than a good bite of solid fat. But Salo just kept tempting me with its zesty paprika shell and the deep flavor and slight saltiness.

But I didn't have the guts to try it with chocolate... (actually it was unavailable, but even then). Marc (who's Jewish) was disgusted by the whole idea. But I found it delectable, and in the end ate the whole platter of it...

Sure I tried other Black Sea delicacies like grilled sturgeon. Ugly fuckers, but tasty. Like a meatier and more satisfying version of sting ray but just as light. The mussels sauteed in onion were quite good, but the fact that it was overpriced was no fun.


Had some really good borshch, another Ukrainian dish (often confused and thought to be Russian). With a little sour cream, it makes a hearty soup to survive the -40 degree winters in the north of the country. For green borshch, apparently I have to come back in springtime...

I tried other Russian foods like the Siberian dumplings with venison (really good--photo here)... but this actually just made me crave the Beijing jiaozi dumplings with a bit of soy sauce.

But for me, the impact of Ukrainian food really came with the eating of a tasty, smooth shred of salo...

Ode to Benton's Country Prosciutto

I hope that one day more of what I eat is made by people like Allan Benton.

His hams have the integrity of tradition, hard work, and persistence, and they taste as if god has intervined. Its hard to imagine Allan's dedication not translating into his product, but there is the "and then some magic happens" element with his prosciutto.

I have met Allan multiple times, he is always there, with a couple of long time employees at 2603 Hwy. 411 in Madisonville (South of Knoxville) Tennessee. Hams don't need to be attended to every day, but people do, and Allan is there for his customers and friends alike. He has given me a tour of his facilities every time (my trick is to bring a new person with me), and he always shares his work with amazing enthusiasm. As a person and food maker, he is unparalleled, and I am glad his hams are exceptional as well.

Cured with a dry rub of salt, black pepper, red pepper, and sugar, and aged for up to a year *THAT'S THE WHOLE RECIPE*, these prosciutto hams he is producing today are divine.

I recently got to share a leg with my family here in Miami (Benton's is a good reason to go back up to Tennessee, but they deliver - thank God!), and the response was overwhelming. My mother grew up in Barcelona, and our family friends that were with us for the opening are Spanish, and no one could believe that I could have gotten my hands on such a good Jamon Serrano. They were even more incredulous that it was domestic, and perplexed that it could possibly have come from Tennessee.

Allan probably doesn't know it, but he inspired my new business. He has an amazing persistence, and has survived as a small high integrity food manufacturer inspite of it being one of the most difficult professions. I want to make business easier for people that want to make food, and give people like Allan more time to spend with friends and hams, while helping guarantee that his company is making food for years to come.

Thank you Allan for being an inspiration as a person, as a producer of amazing food, and for fueling my passion for making food personal.

http://bentonshams.com/