I Totally Want to Marry Him

And I really don't think my husband or son would mind that much, since they're both rabid devotees of all things porcine. The reason I would commit bigamy? Paul Bertolli makes the best pork products I've ever put in my mouth, no offense to Mario's dad Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle (who does an amazing culatello).

At last year's Provvista trade show I was able to taste Mr. Bertolli's line of hand-cured meats as it was freshly sliced by the man himself. (Maybe I should start calling him "Paul, dear.") And my sudden conversion to golddigger is a result of his most recent effort, a dead-on version of Spanish chorizo that he's calling Salametto Piccante.

Now, if you haven't had this particularly fine product, which is a key ingredient in any paella and is a featured ingredient in most tapas bars, you may be prone to confuse it with the fresh Mexican sausage of the same name. Real Spanish chorizo is a spicy, dry salami-type sausage that is a brick-red color and has a touch of heat and smokiness from pimenton, or Spanish smoked paprika.

You can purchase the chorizo online at the Fra' Mani website or go to any reputable purveyor of fine charcuterie and ask for it. Foster & Dobbs just got their allotment, and when I walked in the other day Luan was so excited to have me try it that she practically leaped over the display case. I love a woman who's as insanely devoted to interesting food products as I am! And, btw, I totally want to marry her, too. Hope her husband, Tim, doesn't mind!