During the height of your fascination with artisan cheeses, did you spend an unconscionable amount of money on soft, ripe goo? Then there's good news. Salami offers an affordable indulgence in comparison.

Even the most refined, small-production dry-cured salami will run you far less than a wedge of factory-made cheese. Highly seasoned and rich with fat, most salamis are best enjoyed by the paper-thin slice. A scant quarter pound — outfitted with bread, butter, mustard and pickles — makes for an ample antipasto platter.

Calvin Cruce/Staff (ENLARGE)

CALVIN CRUCE / Staff Kelly Patak stands in the retail space of Patak Meat Products in Austell, a producer of fine dry-cured salami. Aged salamis hang near the wall behind the counter.

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If you want to assemble a great platter of salume — i.e., cured meats — variety is the key. Choose two or three complementary salamis (varied by size, shape, seasoning, spiciness, degree of coarseness), add some bresaola (air-dried beef), coppa (cured chunked pork) and prosciutto. But watch out on the latter: It'll cost you.

Salami Sandwich With Cauliflower Relish

6 sandwiches
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: About 30 minutes

This recipe, from the smart folks at Real Simple magazine, is the salami sandwich you serve to company.

1 head cauliflower
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup capers, drained and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red or white wine vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
12 slices country-style bread or baguette
6 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 pound salami, thinly sliced

Pour about 1 inch water into a large saucepan or pot. Fit a steamer basket in the pan. Cut the cauliflower into quarters. Remove and discard the core. Place the cauliflower in the steamer, cover and place over medium-high heat. Steam until almost but not quite tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Chop the cauliflower into 1/2-inch chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Add the oil, raisins, capers, salt, pepper and (if using) vinegar and caraway seeds. Let stand for 15 minutes. (You can cover the relish and refrigerate it for up to 5 days.)

Place the bread slices on a work surface. Spread half the slices with the mustard, then top with the salami and the cauliflower relish. Sandwich with the remaining bread.

Per serving: 451 calories (percent of calories from fat, 49), 15 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 25 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 37 milligrams cholesterol, 1,304 milligrams sodium.

Feta and Salami Crunchies

About 12 servings
Hands on: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes

I found this recipe, written in hilarious almost-English, on a Web site filled with Eastern European dishes. I put it through a serious revision but left the basic flavors intact. How do you say "yum" in Hungarian?

2 tablespoons white raisins, plumped in hot tap water
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese
1 loaf thin-sliced Pepperidge Farm white bread, crusts removed, cut into quarters
1/2 pound spicy Hungarian salami or pepperoni, cut into thin pieces no larger than a quarter
Flour for dredging
2 cup fine bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Combine the raisins, basil, half the egg and the feta cheese in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Assemble on a square of bread 1 salami slice and a teaspoon-size smear of the cheese mixture. Top with another square of bread. Dip in flour, then dip in remaining beaten egg, then roll in bread crumbs to coat. When all the crunchies are assembled, fry them in batches in 1/2 inch oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until well-browned. Drain on a wire rack. Serve immediately or keep at room temperature and reheat in the oven before serving.

Per serving: 295 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 10 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 16 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 61 milligrams cholesterol, 692 milligrams sodium.

Salami With Eggs

2 servings
Hands on: 4 minutes
Total time: 4 minutes

My grandfather's great — and only — specialty was this Sunday-morning dish of scrambled eggs with thick half-moons of salami. He was very particular about browning the salami well and frying the eggs in the expressed fat. Depending on the salami you use, you may want to dump a little grease first.

1 (2-inch length) kosher beef salami (or any other salami with a 1- or 2-inch diameter)
4 eggs, beaten

Cut the salami into 1/4-inch slices, and cut the slices into half-moons. (Make sure to remove any inedible casing.) Fry the salami pieces in a skillet over medium-high heat until they are brown and start to curl. Spoon out excess oil and add the beaten eggs. Stir to scramble.

Per serving: 280 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 20 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 21 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 411 milligrams cholesterol, 778 milligrams sodium.

French Salami Sandwich

2 servings
Hands on: 2 minutes
Total time: 2 minutes

Let's forget the cholesterol discussion for a moment and talk about why the French tradition of serving buttered — yes, buttered — salami sandwiches is so grand. Soft, spreadable sweet butter provides a mellow background for the chewy, spicy funk of dry-cured saucisson sec. Small cornichon pickles play off the salami's tang, and what you taste is the essence of the meat. P.S.: You need a great, crusty baguette.

1 small, thin baguette (or 1/2 typical baker baguette)
2 tablespoons sweet butter, at room temperature
1/4 pound thin-sliced dry-cured salami
8 small cornichon pickles (or 8 bread-and-butter pickle slices)

Bisect the baguette lengthwise. Spread bottom half with butter and arrange salami and pickles over the top. Sandwich with top half of baguette.

Per serving: 561 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 18 grams protein, 62 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 26 grams fat (12 grams saturated), 68 milligrams cholesterol, 1,918 milligrams sodium.