Only two ingredients are needed for this recipe. That makes it real easy, but also means that the quality of ingredients is paramount. The proscuitto should be selected based on your personal tastes. My preference is for a salty (but not overwhelmingly so) proscuitto from the shoulder that is not so dry that it crumbles when chewed. I also like the proscuitto to have a bit of chew, but cut so thinly that it almost feels like it should dissolve in my mouth. How do you find the right proscuitto? If your deli counter sells different varieties, ask to taste them.
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You'll need about 12 ounces of thinly sliced proscuitto for half a medium sized melon. I generally only use half a melon for this recipe and use the other half for eating as is.Wash the melon with soap and water. The external surface of the melon can carry microbes that cause food poisoning, so it's best to wash it before cutting through it (especially since we're eating this raw). A muskmelon (American cantaloupe) has a bumpy netted surface that should be scrubbed.
Cut the melon from pole to pole. A safe way to do this is to cut a thin slice off the stem end and stand the melon up on the cut side. Slice the melon in half. Remove the collected juice, seeds and webbing. Cut the melon into bite sized pieces either by slicing into wedges and then into chunks or using a melon baller.
Cut the proscuitto slices into strips that are large enough to wrap around the melon pieces or balls. I found that a 1-in. by 4-in. strip was the perfect size for my melon balls. Wrap the proscuitto slice around the melon piece and make sure that the ends of the proscuitto slice overlap a little. Thrust a toothpick through the overlap and out the other side to secure the proscuitto to the melon.
Serve immediately or chill thoroughly before serving. Chilled proscuitto e melone is preferred by many because there is not only opposing sweetness and saltiness but also a perceived temperature difference between the ice cold melon and the seemingly warmer proscuitto.Prosciutto e Melone
| 12 oz. (340 g) Proscuitto di Parma, sliced thinly | cut into strips | wrap & secure with toothpick |
| 1/2 honeydew, cantaloupe, or muskmelon | ball or cut into bite sized pieces |
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Just a couplo of notes, if you want to keep the italian style:
1) Melons in Italy are orange and tante extremely more sweet than the green one i can find in Denmark. I don't know how it works in the States but i think this is pretty important.
2) Prosiutto di Parma and prosciutto di San Daniele (the two best qualities you can get) are famous for being sweet. Wikipedia tells me that in the States sugar is involved in the production of prosiutto which probably means that you have even sweeter prosciutto over there. Prosciutto di Parma does not use sugar at all and it fits melon perfectly.
Well... that was it! :) Take a look at my blog if you're into traditional italian food!
Here's another surprising pairing for melon that I ran across this fall: watermelon, cracked black peper, and chevre.
The creamy, slightly salty cheese really brings out the sweetness of the melon, and gives a nice texture balance. I think you can use any mild soft white cheese: feta should work too.
The cracked pepper gives it a nice "zing".
You can add tomatoes, greens and a drizzel of olive oil to the party. Fresh basil would add to the pepper notes. I am not a big salad fan, but I had seconds of this one!
I am Italian (and an engineer, by the way), and I confirm that usually we use a different, more savoury variety of mellon, which is orange inside, and like covered with a coarse web outside.
(attaching url...)
http://www.mondodelgusto.it/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/melone-di-pachino.jpg
Anyway, personally I find that flavour too strong.
"Prosciutto" is written like that, and pronounced more or less like "proshiouttow".
Keep up the good work!
Bye
Andrea
This is a popular dish in Spain, too, though someone pointed out to me years ago that it started out merely as a way to use poorer-quality ham than the melt-in-your-mouth Pata Negra hams from Huelva.
Don't get really good Spanish ham and make melon with prosciutto with it, it's a waste; find a way to slice it paper-thin and eat it by itself. In Spain, never pay top dollar for "melón con jamón".
Melon: my family likes to squirt a little lemon juice on melon, and occasionally a little salt as well.