Cooking with Prosciutto
photo by Thomas Vogel
Ah, prosciutto. Just the name rolls off the tongue like butter. This melt-in-your-mouth classic is one of the most well known Italian food items on the global culinary market, and is made from a thousand-year-old salt and curing practice.
The original technique started in the regions of Parma and San Daniele in Italy, where both locations took on slightly different methods to deliver two of the oldest and most authentic prosciutto. It starts with the very basics: happy and healthy pigs (see Bear and the Flower Farm). You can’t make a delicious staple without making sure that you’re delivering the highest quality foundation. Then, both processes include removing all of the moisture from the pork leg through salting, leaving the product to be hung dried in a cool space with consistent airflow, and then aging it with just the right amount of patience. Prosciutto can be hung from anywhere between three months and two years in order to get the perfect flavours. Every high quality meat company that cures prosciutto has gone through years and years of trial and error to create their ideal profile, including VDG Salumi.
Once you’ve picked up your prosciutto from your local meat market or deli store, you’re going to want to find the perfect partner for it. Prosciutto should never be paired with a flavour that supersedes it, it should always go with something that is complimentary.
To start, prosciutto is one of the best cured meat products to simply eat as is. The sweet and salty flavours make for a lovely snack just on their own, and can also be a great addition to a charcuterie or salumi board.
Next, prosciutto is a great addition to an appetizer or snack plate. It pairs well with fruits like melon and figs, where the salty flavour balances out with the fruity sweetness. Wrap your prosciutto around melon cubes and take it out on your next summer picnic; we guarantee you’ll love it!
Prosciutto’s have always been a great addition for salads or greeneries, because they provide a salty protein punch without adding a lot of weight to the dish. They are particularly great in Calabrese salads, where they can combine with your buffalo mozzarella or burrata cheese.
Lastly, sometimes when you’re making classic Italian pizza, you know that you want something a little bit extra, but you’re just not sure what the topping should be… trying to make your basil or margherita pizza just that little bit better? Throw on slices of prosciutto after the pizza has come out of the oven. Drooling will commence.