Sunday, December 20, 2009

Prosciutto Crudo--is there a more perfect food?


I received, as a gift, THIS.  A glorious, big fat wedge of raw ham.  Here it waits patiently on my meat slicer, just waiting for me to unleash the incredible flavor in wafer thin slices.

This was the only meat I would eat during my first 6 months of pregnancy.  And I still love it.

Oh how I love prosciutto.  Let me count the ways:

  • As a last minute add to a pizza.  Bake a small pizza with the regular toppings.  When it comes out of the oven add arugula and shaved prosciutto.  Serve with a fork and knife.
  • By itself, with a lovely glass of Barbera.
  • Wrapped around a long Italian breadstick.
  • Piled on top of ripe, sweet, juicy cantaloupe melon
  • Wrapped around a date
  • Wrapped around a fig
  • Wrapped around my finger
  • On an antipasto platter, along grilled vegetables and hard aged cheese
  • As an addition to the traditional buffala mozzarella, ripe tomato and basil
  • In pasta:  toss hot pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese, cream, fresh peas, and gorgeous chunks of this ham
  • On a sandwich on a fresh baguette, buttered (we do that thing here and believe me you would get used to it too)
  • Spread with a thin layer of herbed goat cheese, then rolled and cut into little wheels.  
Those are all my favorites.  How about you?  Any other ideas?

2 comments:

  1. I love Portugal, having just visited the first time in early November. The people are simply beautiful, just lovely. The food is wonderful. I am trying very hard to find Serra da Estrela cheese here in Switzerland but I cannot, and I am VERY SAD....thank you for visiting my blog!

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  2. What about the gorgeous chicken dish you had last night Pammie? Chicken stuffed with Roule and wrapped in Proscuitto xx

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