Mortadella di Campotosto

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Mortadella di Campotosto is a small mortadella. It is a small, longish oval-shape. Inside, it is dark red, with a white column of fat. They are generally sold two tied together. Together, they are about as big as two cupped hands put together. Another name for the mortadella in Italian is "coglioni di mulo" (donkey's balls.)

It is made commercially from pigs raised in the area, using meat from the shoulder and loin and trimmings from making prosciutto, mixed with fat. In all, it is 80% lean meat, of which 25% will be prosciutto (ham), and 20% of pancetta.

The meat is finely minced, and mixed with seasonings (salt, pepper, white wine.) Some makers will also use cinnamon and cloves. No nitrates are used.

The sausage mixture is let rest in a cold room for a week in a wood or steel vessel, then made in an egg shape, with a 4 inch (10 cm) column of lard inserted in the middle. It is salted and let rest for 3 days, then stitched inside a sausage casing with a thread that divides it into 4. Two are tied together, then hung over a rod, then put in a room for 10 to 15 days that has a fire in it, to heat and smoke it a bit. The wood in fire is beech or oak.

Then, it is aged 3 to 4 months in cellars. When finished, it will weigh around 18 oz (500g.)

There are also artisanal versions. Artisanal versions grind the meat twice, even using a mezzaluna by hand for the second time as needed. They use meat from pigs that were fed outdoors on kitchen slops and garden cuttings, augmented with bran, and able to forage on acorns and chestnuts.

The only seasoning is salt and pepper.

These artisanal versions will be aged for up to a year.

Mortadella di Campotosto is made in Campotosto and Poggio Cancelli, in the province of Teramo, in northern Abruzzo on the edge of the Monti della Laga.

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Also called:
Coglioni di mulo, Mortadella di Campotosto (Italian)
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