Portuguese Chocolate Salami with Pistachios

Carnival is coming up, so how about a delicious Chocolate Salami (or in Portuguese Salame de Chocolate) with some pistachios?

Chocolate Salami is a very traditional Portuguese and Italian recipe perfect for celebrations and parties, easy to make easy to share, the origin is hard to figure out although both recipes are very similar and both use ingredients more common in Portugal and Italy, the main difference i would say… is that the Portuguese kind tends to be made with maria biscuit (a very traditional type of thin plain biscuit) with or without dried fruits, while the Italian kind tens to use bigger dry cookies like vanilla or amaretti cookies, more dried fruits and flavorings like rum.

So the Portuguese is more kid friendly, easier to make and has a more straightforward taste, while the Italian version is more refined, with more things going on, since I’m Portuguese i kinda have a preference the Portuguese chocolate salami, but I’ve tried several versions of both and I think both are good, one of my favorite was a very plain Italian one from a Italian bakery, delicious! ;D

The Portuguese version has basically two variations, one made with powdered chocolate and one made with baking chocolate, the powdered chocolate is more… homemade, more rustic, its also a bit simpler to make, the taste is also more nostalgic if you use a regular chocolate or powdered chocolate for milk and you might get a little bit of the crunch from the sugar.

The baking chocolate version, is the recipe we have here, its just a bit more rich, more creamy, more cocoa and more similar to the Italian versions that also normally use baking chocolate, also note that you need time for the salami to set in the fridge, so its a good idea to make it a day before you want to eat it, so lets check the recipe!

Portuguese Chocolate Salami with Pistachios

Servings: 12
Time: 40mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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A Portuguese Chocolate Salami or Salame de Chocolate is a sweet Portuguese dessert made with rich chocolate and crunchy Maria biscuits.

Ingredients

Maria Biscuit – 150gr
Cooking Chocolate – 130gr (70% Cacao)
Egg Yolks – 2
Brown Sugar – 80g (Traditionally its Normal Cristal Sugar)
Unsalted Butter – 100gr
Pistachios – 70gr (Salted)
Cocoa – Taste (To Sprinkle)

Directions

Start by melting the chocolate and butter in a water bath (also known as a bain-marie is a pan on the heat with some hot water and another smaller pan or bowl inside that pan, so whatever is inside the pan will heat more slowly and evenly, perfect for melting more sensitive products like chocolate or cooking preparations with eggs).
While the chocolate is melting, roughly crush the maria biscuits in a bowl, note that you want a mixture of thumb-sized pieces of biscuits and plenty of powder biscuits, because it is this powder that will help the flavor and structure of the salami so you want a mix of both very small pieces and larger pieces, so it’s a bad idea to crush it in a machine that will chop everything evenly, better to do it with your hands (and its fun and relaxing).

In a mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the brown sugar until it is very creamy.

Then, with the mixer constantly whisking, add the melted chocolate to gradually warm the yolks.

Finally add the crushed maria biscuits and the pistachios, mix them with a spoon , and then take them out onto a large piece of non-stick paper or baking paper, and with the help of the paper you will gradually mold and press the mass until you create a roll that is as round and long like a salami, wrap it in the non-stick paper and take it to the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (its better if you let it sit overnight).

And that’s it, take it out of the fridge, sprinkle with cocoa or chocolate powder or powdered sugar and it’s ready to serve, note that a chocolate salami should well, about 2 weeks in the fridge until the chocolate starts to spoil, but since it takes egg yolks, I would say to consume it in max 3 days, otherwise slice it and save it in the freezer! ;D Happy Carnival!

Notes: If i didn’t use salted pistachios i would add a bit of salt.

Normally this is made with normal sugar, not brown sugar, but brown sugar gives that hint of caramel and that fits well with chocolate.

If you have difficulty rolling with the non-stick paper because it wont stay put, you can wrap it all with cling film or aluminum so the non-stick paper stays in place.

Since it uses raw egg yolks, well sometimes not fully cooked egg yolks (when adding the hot chocolate it should mostly cook it), if you are unsure, or if its for a party its best to use pasteurized eggs.

Encase you cant find maria biscuits, any kind of plain taste crispy cookies will do, this is important because the chocolate will be very sweet, so the biscuits not only give a different texture but cut the sweetness, so adding something like Oreo biscuits will make the salami sickly sweet.

The same goes for the dried fruits, add just one, maybe 2 if they combine well, adding a trail mix of dried fruits will just make the salami too confusing, as this is a problem with some Italian versions that are simply too rich.

This recipe for Portuguese Chocolate Salami with Pistachios was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Salame de Chocolate com Pistácios foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.