Salume, Canned Tuna in oil (large size can)

Well, it is getting close to the salume party I am having for my daughter's wedding. Looking for some good sausage places-checked out Bari and Conte de Saviole yesterday. Menu-Assortment of salumes (sic), Tuscan wood fired bread, gardinella relish among other condiments. Proscuitto with arugala salad, a "decomposed" salad Nicoise, with the contents of a super large size can of good tuna packed in oil. An assorted antipasto tray (ideas?). Italian cheese board-maybe taleggio, among others.
Assorted marinated olives. And a cold soup-thought of gazpacho. For dessert and assortment of cannoli's, individual taramisus, and expresso chocolate tarts.

Beverage of day Negroni (Campari, Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Orange Peel)
Assorted aperitifs such as Cynar

Wine, beer, etc

Any suggestions would be welcome. Especially good sausage sources, where a large tin of tuna packed in oil could be had, antipastos, etc

Sorry, this won't be your only stop, but since you also need wine and beer, I'd suggest you check out Sam's.

They have one absolutely terrific black pepper salami, and their olives are the best I've found. I imagine you can get several nice food things for your party while you pick up the wine and beer.

Good luck with the tuna, never seen such a thing...

Nancy

psychchef wrote:Well, it is getting close to the salume party I am having for my daughter's wedding. ... a "decomposed" salad Nicoise...
Any suggestions would be welcome. Especially good sausage sources, where a large tin of tuna packed in oil could be had, antipastos, etc

Psychchef:

A good salad Niçoise is wonderful and would serve as a sort of counterpoint to the salume and cheeses. Certainly by flavours and spirit (not to mention the fact that 'Nice', a.k.a. Nizza, is from an historical and cultural perspective as much Italian as it is French, if not more so), the dish also fits in well with your other offerings. But a tinned tuna-based salad you might also want to consider is the Italian tuna and bean salad: tinned tuna, cannelini beans, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, vinager, a little rosemary, served cool after being able to come together for a few hours.

I have seen large tins of tuna at Bari, I believe, and I vaguely remember seeing large cans or jars of the expensive Spanish tuna in olive oil at Fox and Obel. At Atherns Market -- a place I strongly suggest you consider going to in order to buy your olives -- they have large tins of tuna: one is always open at the deli counter -- you could go, buy a little and try it out to see if it's to your liking.

The often mentioned Caputo's and Riviera (esp. for their sopressata) are good sources for Italian salumi, and i would be surprised if Caputo's didn't have large tins of tuna. Whole Foods (the one just off Dearborn south of Chicago) used to have and likely still has finocchiona, a fennel flavoured dried sausage from Tuscany. It's a great sausage and worth trying; persoanlly, I find what is imported to the states too aged and dried to my taste (I like it young and still squealing), but it's nevertheless good and interesting.

Antonius

The negroni is my personal favorite. I'd suggest a dash of bitters on top. Also, if you don't have one, consider purchasing an old-fashioned seltzer bottle (as seen on the Three Stooges) to make these rather strong drinks "long" if it is a particularly hot day. They aren't too expensive, and you'll find them at Chef's Catalog, Williams Sonoma, etc. or at any number of Eastern European stores. Polish folks, especially, seem to like fruit drinks made this way.

I concur with the sausage suggestions above, and would add the suggestion that you seek out the large Palacios chorizo available at Sam's and La Unica. Also, I have really liked the artisnal Molinari sausages (from SF) available around town at places like Sam's and Fox & Obel. Look for the links covered in white bloom. Really, really good.

A selection of fruit pastes (guava, quince, mango, etc.) and dulce de leche always goes nicely with the kind of spead you describe (something we do several times a summer). Cheap and good, and the stuff never spoils. Oh, and some marinated white anchovies would really compliment the negronis, no joke.

Just returned from Unica and got a Palacio Chorizo, very delicious. Will hit Fox and Obel and Sam's later. I also love the olive selection at Marcey Market at Sam's. A make a marinated olive mixture using Green Castlevetrano. Nicoise, and a both black and green Cerignola olive-large, meaty, wonderful. I then saute some olive oil with garlic, cilantro seeds, whole black peppercorns, fennel seeds, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Then add the drained olives, add a splash of amontillado sherry, aged sherry vinegar, juice from half a lemon, and half an orange. Take it off the heat, add thick slices orange zest, and a few fresh bay leaves. Let it cool. Serve