Product Review: Daniele Braesola - Dry Cured Beef

I like cured meats - salami, prosciutto, cappicola and many sausages. But they aren't very healthy; they have lots of fat. And, like a lot of people, I am not exactly thin. So, when I was browsing in Zabar's a while back, and looked at the package of Daniele Braesola and saw how little fat it seemed to have, I checked the nutrition panel. 3 ounces of Daniele Braesola has 3 grams of fat and 30 grams of protein and about 200 calories. That's good! So I bought a package.

Braesola is dry cured beef, sliced thinly. Like prosciutto, you can eat it plain without cooking. Sometimes I chop up the braesola and put it into a salad. Or I make braesola and eggs. Or I eat it plain, You could certainly make a braesola sandwich, perhaps with some sliced olives and a little vinaigrette on a roll. It's also good with most cheeses; I would especially recommend Parmesan. Or just a nibble it plain. 30 calories of protein!

Daniele braesola is expensive. A 1 pound package costs $25.95 on Amazon. A small 3 ounce package costs about $6.00 at a store near me. But it's very dense. This is pure meat, folks. So 3 ounces is actually a pretty big serving. For an appetizer, an ounce of braesola, sliced very thin, drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon juice, a few thin slices of Parmesan cheese and a few leaves of basil. Oooh. That would be a good appetizer! Of course, the cheese

If you're a cook, you can make braesola at home, but you'll need some time - it takes more than 2 months to make.And you'd probably need a slicer to make it as thin as what you get from Daniele.