It’s one dish you shouldn’t mess with. No foams, no vacuum sealed marination with lovage shoots. It’s not improved by a precision presentation, because then it looks like you are aiming for distraction, instead of palate satisfaction. It’s simple and it should remain simple.
Yes, it’s time for my annual ode to prosciutto and melon.
You do need a ripe, sweet, soft, succulent, sexy melon. Accept no substitute. Do not lower your standards.
You do need good prosciutto. Preferably hand carved moments before eating. There are different styles of prosciutto. San Daniele is silky smooth, soft and delicate. Iberico from Spain is also elegant and yielding. Umbrian prosciutto is more rustic, harder, saltier, chewier and I like it like that.
Recipe:
*Only attempt this recipe on a sunny summer day. It’s a known fact that melons taste sweeter on hot sunny days.
*Train someone in your household to be the prosciutto slicer. This could take months or years to perfect, but the learning curve is quite delicious.
*Have a trusted melon source. There’s a lady in the Umbertide market who has consistently had amazing melons this year and I”m not telling you who she is. If our garden produces good melons, I may tell you about it or I may keep it a secret, depends on how many melons we get.
*Slice the melon.
*Slice the prosciutto
*Combine on a plate.
*Now eat THE Perfect Lunch. Do not attempt any deviation from this recipe or you risk missing out on perfection.
Buon appetito!