Mortadella is a super-high-quality baloney. In fact, it’s probably the most delicious baloney you’ve ever had. At one of my dinner parties I was serving mortadella and one of my guests said, “Hey, this baloney has nuts in it!” And it does: Mortadella is full of pistachios and chunky bits of fat, both of which make it super-flavorful. My mortadella pâté is puréed, mixed with whipped cream, and topped with pistachios—think of it as baloney mousse.

　　

Ingredients

serves : 6 to 8

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　1/2 cup chicken stock (see page 85)

　　1/2 pound mortadella, 6 ounces cut into 2-inch chunks and 2 ounces cut into small dice

　　1 cup heavy cream, whipped to medium peaks

　　1/2 cup shelled and chopped pistachios

　　

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large, deep saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, continuing to whisk until well combined; it should look like wet sand. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Purée the large chunks of mortadella in a food processor until very smooth, then add the butter-flour mixture and continue puréeing until the mixture is homogeneous. Scrape down the sides of the food processor and check the consistency—it should be very smooth.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the purée to a large mixing bowl and add the diced mortadella, along with a third of the whipped cream. Gently combine the whipped cream into the mixture; repeat twice more. What you’re looking for is a homogeneous mixture without any streaks of cream. Transfer the pâté to a serving dish and sprinkle with pistachios.

　　Cook Like a Rock Star