TRADITIONAL HEAD CHEESE SALAMI

Coppa di testa, testa in cassetta, fromage de tête, headcheese. These are just some of the names for this dish which is prepared in Tuscany and elsewhere.

My version belongs to the Renaissance tradition, when taste called for contrasts as much as well-balanced flavours. Ingredients include sea salt, strong black pepper, four Tuscan herbs (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander), orange zest and vin santo.

Prepared plain and simple without the addition of any preserving agents, it is superb served cut into cubes and sprinkled with vin santo and/or orange juice. Chunks of soprassata and chickpeas make a warm salad we call "insalata della Piana", after the Piana, a slice of Tuscany wedged between the towns of Florence, Prato and Pistoia.

This is quite a prosperous area today, though once it was decidedly poor, "rich" only with a culinary treasury of simple, ingenious foods with formidible flavors. Dice the soprassata into chunks, and place the pieces in a large soup bowl. Drain piping hot chickpeas and pour them over (use approx. double the amount of chickpeas to soprassata). Let stand for a moment allowing the heat to spread. Then stir and serve blanketed with a shower of sliced red onions.

IndespensibleÖa glass of good Chianti.