Cut & Cure
What is Sopressata?
Pronounced /soh-preh-SAH-tah/
Definition
Sopressata is a coarse-ground, dry-cured Italian salami, made sweet or hot depending on the amount of chile in the mix.
Southern versions are pressed flat during curing, which is where the name comes from. Calabrian sopressata leans heavily on hot pepper.
It belongs on an antipasto board, in a sandwich, or diced into a frittata — not in a long simmer, where the cure turns harsh.
Related terms
More cut & cure terms
Next up
Keep going — a recipe to try, a film to watch, and an answer to the question you were about to search.
Try this recipe
Arancini Siciliani
Fried risotto balls with ragù and molten mozzarella.
Try this recipe
Risotto ai Frutti di Mare
Shrimp, mussels and clams stirred into creamy rice.
Next watch
Pool Hall Hustle
Larry and Sally walk into a pool hall with a cue, a cold beer, and more confidence than the regulars expected. Sally lines up her shot while Larry supplies the faces. The green felt has seen plenty of hustlers, but never this duo.
Quick answer
How do you make risotto creamy without it turning gluey?
Use carnaroli or arborio rice, toast it in butter, then add HOT stock one ladle at a time, stirring often, for 16 to 18 minutes. Finish off the heat with cold butter and parmesan (the mantecatura). Gluey risotto comes from cold stock, too much stirring, or overcooking past al dente.