Prosciutto & Melon Salad

Yields: 4 servings

Time: 8 minutes

Prosciutto e Melone is a classic Italian combination usually served as a part of an antipasto. My twist adds a peppery arugula salad to liven up the fatty prosciutto while balancing the sweet cantaloupe. Serve at brunch as a main course or as a part of an aperitivo before a dinner on the terrace.

Ingredients:

• Prosciutto di Parma

• Arugula

• Parmesan

• Pignoli nuts

• Cantaloupe (or your favorite melon!)

• Sourdough bread

• Extra virgin olive oil (or evoo, as the lovely Rachael Ray would say)

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

• Red pepper flakes

• Dried basil, parsley, and oregano

• Oak aged balsamic vinegar

• Red wine vinegar

• Honey mustard

• Garlic

• Lemon juice

Special Equipment:

• Toaster oven

• Food processor

Directions

Step One:

Cube sourdough into 1 inch pieces, about 2 cups. Place them on a toaster oven tray (or baking sheet for your oven) and drizzle lightly with evoo. Season to taste with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, parsley, and oregano. Toast until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, tossing half way through. If using an oven, 375º for the same time should work.

Once cooled, place bread crumbs in a food processor. Pulse until only slightly crumbly, about the size of peas. Set aside.

Step Two:

In a small dry skillet, toast about 1/3 cup of pignoli until lightly browned. While toasting, dice about a cup of melon into 1/2 inch pieces. Set both aside.

Step Three:

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together 2 tbsp. balsamic, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, and the juice of half a lemon. Mince a few cloves of garlic, however much you like, and add to your acids. Scoop in about 1 tbsp. of honey mustard and whisk. Once combined, slowly begin to drizzle in extra virgin olive oil while whisking vigorously. It helps to place your bowl on a rolled up dish towel to prevent any spinning. About 1/3-1/2 cup of evoo will do. You’ll know it’s enough when the oil has fully emulsified into the acids and has a velvety, thick texture. Season to taste with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and oregano. Set aside.

Step Four:

In a large mixing bowl, toss together about 4 cups of arugula, diced cantaloupe, and a handful of parmesan shavings (if you prefer shredded or grated that’s fine too!) Add in toasted pignoli and large handful of sourdough bread crumbs. Dress salad with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat ingredients, toss thoroughly. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Step Five:

Assembly is left up to you! Use your own artistic flare to create a beautiful plate. I prefer keeping my prosciutto whole and using it as a base for the salad, shown below. If you like a more cohesive look, simply tear the prosciutto into large strips and toss. Serve immediately.

What the heck does season to taste mean?!

Season to taste refers to a cook using their own senses to test the seasoning of a dish. It is most commonly used to adjust the levels of salt. Tasting your food several times throughout the cooking process not only leads to a more delicious meal but will help you build your palate over time. With practice, seasoning will become muscle memory and you’ll be able to do away with measuring spoons, I promise!

With salad dressing, specifically, it’s important to taste using whatever leafy veggie you’ll be putting the dressing on. Meaning, when I taste the vinaigrette in this recipe, I am going to dip an arugula leaf in the dressing. How the dressing tastes on your veggies will be quite different than how it tastes on a spoon or even your finger. Tasting on a lettuce leaf will help prevent under/over seasoning.