My family isn’t Italian, so my first exposure to true Italian food was not in the home but under the employment of two Sicilian restaurant owners. And when you grow up aloof to everything that’s not spaghetti and pepperoni pizza, that first crash course at an Italian restaurant is a big wake-up.
Now I can’t get enough Italian food. I can wax poetic about pizza and pasta for paragraphs, but one of my favorite dishes is an unexpectedly simple appetizer that I did not expect to love at first.
That appetizer only uses two ingredients, melon and prosciutto, to create a sweet and salty combination you can customize in several ways. The combination of prosciutto and melon is not unpopular—In fact, it’s quite traditional. The dish dates back to Ancient Rome but gained popularity thanks to Pellegrino Artusi after first appearing in his famous cookbook published in 1891.
“This is a fantastic traditional summertime meal in Italy,” says Allrecipes Allstar Buckwheat Queen. “No doubt you will find this on every table in Italy from the North to the South. The key is the quality of the prosciutto and the ripeness of the melon.”
Why I Love Prosciutto and Cantaloupe
I love the combination of melon and prosciutto for its simplicity, its contrasting sweet and salty flavors, and its refreshing taste. This dish can be ready in mere minutes, and there’s really no cooking required.
The quality of the prosciutto and of the cantaloupe does matter. While I don’t tend to be too choosy with prosciutto, I don’t mind paying an extra dollar or two for the best cured meats.
As for cantaloupe, there are a few ways to tell a ripe melon from an underripe one. A tan, sandy gold, or yellow hue beneath the net-like texture of the cantaloupe is bound to mean a juicy and sweet melon. If you knock on the melon and you hear a low, deep, and solid sound rather than a hollow one, that’s a great sign, too.
More Inspiration
Allstar Buckwheat Queen loves to serve this dish as an appetizer or light meal with classic breadsticks and a light, dry white wine.
Cantaloupe is not the only fruit you can pair with prosciutto. I first ate this dish with honeydew melon, and it was the version that had me hooked, but you can pair any melon with prosciutto. As long as the fruit is ripe and sweet, you’ll end up with a great appetizer.
I love this appetizer with a few additions. I have a bigger sweet tooth than some, so I like to add some honey and a creamy dip, like ricotta cream cheese. The other is with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for a rich, sweet, and acidic punch.
Community Praise
“We make this a lot in the summer,” says reviewer Missi. “Always add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper. Amazing!”
“Fabulous recipe! Simple and basic,” says reviewer Linda. “Use quality prosciutto and a good melon and you can not go wrong. (Quality prosciutto is not slimy as some reviews note a sliminess). Love the sweetness of the melon offset with the saltiness of the prosciutto.”
“It’s a fantastic appetizer I was once treated to at a top-notch restaurant years ago. Since that time I have made it only a couple of times because I question the quality of the packaged prosciutto I see in the chain grocery stores. This recipe is indeed a reminder for me to visit a true specialty meat grocer so I can pair a quality prosciutto with a perfectly ripe cantelope! And this would also work well with an equally ripe honeydew melon!” -Allrecipes member AmberFish9262
Get the recipe: Prosciutto e Melone (Italian Ham and Melon)
Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
Dining and Cooking