| Salty | | | | 9 months to one and a half years to make. Prosciutto |
| When I was a kid, my mother put salt on melon | | | | crudo comes from central and northern Italy (Tuscany |
| (cantaloupe). I tried it and acquired the taste. The idea | | | | and Emilia in particular), and some prosciutto producing |
| seems strange to most, but I believe it gives a | | | | areas have a protected status just like San Marzano |
| sweeter taste to the melon. Try it. Or better yet, try | | | | plum tomatoes and some antipasto delicacies we |
| prosciutto with melon.The prosciutto has a salty taste | | | | have discussed. In particular, the prosciutto di Parma, |
| which seems to sweeten the melon even more. It is | | | | prosciutto di San Daniele, prosciutto di Modena, |
| such a simple recipe that that one might think it is not | | | | prosciutto di Toscano, prosciutto di Veneto, and |
| worth the effort to describe. But once you try it, you | | | | prosciutto di Carpegna all have the PDO (protected |
| will understand why I describe it here. | | | | designation of origin) status. |
| Prosciutto | | | | Ingredients (6 servings): |
| As I have mentioned before, prosciutto is the Italian | | | | - 1 melon cut into 8 wedges with the rind removed |
| word for ham. But it is usually referred to in the US as | | | | (combine any smaller slices to make 6 servings). |
| an aged, spiced, and cured ham thinly sliced and | | | | - 18 extremely thin slices of prosciutto |
| uncooked ham. The Italians refer to cooked ham (like | | | | Preparation: |
| we normally eat) as prosciutto cotto (which means | | | | Place each melon slice on a plate with 3 prosciutto |
| literally cooked ham). But the prosciutto that is cured is | | | | slices arranged alongside or draped over the melon. |
| referred to in Italy as prosciutto crudo (meaning raw | | | | Enjoy. Chou for now. |
| ham). A fine prosciutto crudo can take anywhere from | | | | |